Who do you get advice from?

Who do you get advice from? As with most things in life, the answer is... "it depends''.  

I pushed a full length video to a forum full of pilots for feedback asking them to be as critical as they can possibly be (how’s that for being vulnerable?) 

The question I had was specific to take-offs: Do I put the gear up AFTER using up the available runway or do I do it IMMEDIATELY after a positive climb rate?

During training I was instructed to leave the gear down until "runway expiry". However, this conflicted with training from another instructor, a 30,000 hour airline pilot, to NOT wait until "runway expiry".

You can understand my dilemma. Do I listen to the instructor who I did my multi-engine training with who drilled me on the fundamentals, or do I listen to a seasoned 30,000 hour pilot?

One pilot in the forum answered it perfectly. 

The "keep the gear down until I use up the remaining runway" is for piston engines where partial power isn't going to be sufficient. i.e. One 180 horsepower engine isn't enough to give you the thrust to keep going.

However, in an airplane with 335 horsepower per side you are obviously more likely to experience an engine failure that doesn’t result in a total loss of thrust, just most of it. Considering the weight and speed... you aren’t setting it back down on the remaining runway. Once you rotate, you have committed to taking all problems into the air. Your primary task should be getting clean (i.e. take away all drag - feather the propeller to the inoperative engine, flaps up, gear up) and get to your single engine climb speed in the event of an engine failure on departure.

The takeaway is think about who you are getting advice from. And to put that advice into context. Flying a single or a low powered multi-engine? Go with gear down after runway expiry. Flying a multi-engine with enough horsepower? Keep it going. Read the operating manual and ask instructors who are experienced on the specific type of plane you are operating. As an example, a hot day, high elevation airport and a fully loaded plane might require another procedure.

My approach to business has always been to ask everyone, listen to what they are saying and to formulate my own opinion. The wisdom is in knowing I know nothing has served me well.

Just steer clear of people who claim to know all the answers (those who believe that they are always right).