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A couple of things.
1. Cycling the gear, with single engine, will result in a -250 FPM at blue line, this is in the POH.
2. A recommended procedure is to attain 500 Ft AGL, then cycle the gear.
CPA had a recent note about the front wheel on Skymasters, and I don't remeber the details, but if you cycle the gear immediately after lift off, the front wheel is still spinning when it retracts. If you watch the gear cycle during the annual inspection, you will
see there is not a lot of clearance. The note from CPA said the front tire was wearing out on one plane, and not another. The difference was piloting techniques, where one pilot pulled the gear up at positive rate of climb, and the other waited until 500 ft.
3. At 500 AGL, cycle the gear, get the flaps up, then pull back the power.
4. Cycling the gear at positive rate of climb, or end of runway, is the perfered technique for conventional gear multi engine airplanes, where you want to 'clean up' the airplane. With a Skymaster, the plane 'gets dirty' when the gear cycles.
Take off
The plane wants to fly before blue line. The question is, are you? Are you ready to deal with an engine failure, (really the primary concern) before reaching blue line? At RTC, they teach stay on the ground until blue line. If you learn to fly a jet, it's the same thing. V1 is the place where you take off, and continue flying. It's after Vr.
Landing.
A stable approach renders a stable landing. I think the approach you use is dependent on your situation. Certainly, the technique changes on an instrument approach. Gear down at Outer Marker. At my airport, if I am coming from the east, I am frequently 2500-3000 AGL at less than 5 miles from my airport. Landing south, I'll dump flaps, pitch up, get the gear down, and do left base for 18. If we are landing north, then down to pattern altitude, and gear and flaps out at mid-field.
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