I must not be visualizing correctly what you are talking about. I was
thinking it was like a J laying on its side with the long leg being the
runway and the short leg being beside the runway (assuming a pretty wide
takeoff area). You start point away from the direction of takeoff and
then make a sweeping turn onto the runway. However, if you do that wide
enough to be at 20 knots when aligned with the runway, you will have a
fairly large radius of turn and I'll bet you lose nearly as much as you
gain.

You're right, if done incorrectly, you don't gain much -- although
even sloppily done, you still gain a bit.

The trick is to maintain your momentum around the "J" turn. You have
to hit the speed fast enough to maintain momentum, but not so fast
that you tip your tricycle over! As someone mentioned, Cherokees
are good for this, thanks to their wide stance. (A Tri-Pacer, for
instance, might not fare as well, with its tall, more closely spaced
gear...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"