Tailwheel pilots, who are walking the rudder quickly and tightly, bracketing the centerline (big middle between trees in this case), see it more comfortably because they are always ahead of the airplane for longitudinal alignment. Try this trick to feel, actually to be, much more in control. It is like riding a bike or balancing a broom on our hand. Quick, tight, and continuous dynamic proactive rudder movement makes the outcome never in doubt. Watch a crop duster video with a camera pointed at the rudder. He is constantly walking the rudder pedals (the rudder is moving constantly) to exactly drive down a particular crop row (keep the light bar centered when there is no row). Practice on short final to your airport by exactly bracketing the centerline extended and then the centerline when on the surface. With a nose geared airplane, we are just taking the slack out of the cables or push pull tubs to the nose wheel when on the surface. Do not use the steering wheel (aileron) except to set wing for crosswind. Walking the rudder, absolutely not allowing any turn, automatically keeps the wing level (or set in side slip.)

Yes, good point. Here is another benefit of having zoom reserve airspeed rather than Vy on takeoff. Vx or Vy, almost never appropriate even on remote fields like Gastons, is not zoom reserve airspeed. Engine failure or surprise traffic will make the outcome of any maneuver at Vx or Vy in doubt. When low, airspeed and not altitude is life. Also traffic is easier to see and avoid from the lower perch with the sky as background. Maneuvering where horizontal space is limited requires a low altitude point of view rather than a high altitude point of view, mentally as well as physically. Stall here is fatal.

@@jimmydulin928 Yea, and most of the time we gain little altitude and then turn out right and follow the river to gain altitude instead of flying over the hill!! People weigh their planes down there in summer and get in trouble with over weight and have had quite a few incidents there. We always tell people if going be heave just have your passengers shuttle to KBPK about 6 miles up the road and meet them there to pick up and take off on the 5k ft runway!! Gastons always happy to shuttle people.

@@firepilot109 All good points. Down drainage egress, from many years at high DA with low powered and tired engines, has always been default for me. Only once out of the woods, do headings and climbs become considerations.

lol second radio… lolllll

Roger, and taking off on 06. If it looks like you'll have difficulty clearing the hill, a gentle turn to the right once you're above the trees will put you over the river.