Rudder authority is one issue but I don't experience it much. What I notice most is that any little perturbation in the runway can sent the nosewheel careening in what appears to the pilot to be an unpredictable direction. If I am sensing this correctly, that careening is initiated by the nosewheel and is not caused by torque or wind on the tail -- although, these could be contributing factors at times. Usually, the controls have the authority to make the correction Of course, I am guessing at what is going on by feel. It has been only a minor annoyance because I haven't had to take off from a 20 foot wide runway. A very narrow runway would make me nervous in the DA40.
It is the initial "wild and crazy" behavior of the nosewheel that doesn't seem to occur in the C400. Maybe this is weight, although a MTOW DA40 and a lightly loaded C400 aren't much different. It feels more like the nosewheels are aligned and damped differently.
Longitudinal control on take-off/landing roll
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- Steve
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Re: Longitudinal control on take-off/landing roll
My runway is 40 feet wide and always seems to have a gusty crosswind. I've gotten used to it and don't have any trouble staying on the centerline taking off and landing. I agree that you need to make lots of little, frequent corrections to both stick and rudder. Reviewing some of my GoPro cockpit video it seems like I'm nervous (I'm not) on final, making lots of little stick and rudder motions.
Steve
Steve