The rudders should turn inward when flaps are set to HALF or FULL. This creates additional down-force on the main landing gear and assists with nose-up attitude.
Airfield takeoffs should be performed with NWS engaged, which enters a low-gain mode as airspeed increases to prevent over-steer.
Verify your throttle axis has full range of motion. IIRC, the free carrier will not initiate launch when hooked up unless the throttle is at MIL power or greater. The Supercarrier crew should initiate launch after the Salute command is given.