FO OF A CANADAIR RJ CL65 REGIONAL JET LOST DIRECTIONAL CTL DURING THE INITIAL TKOF ROLL DUE TO NOSEWHEEL STEERING BEING INOP AND THE LACK OF SUFFICIENT AIRSPD TO HAVE EFFECTIVE RUDDER CTL.

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I WAS THE FO FOR A SCHEDULED PART 121 FLT FROM CVG-BNA. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE LNDG; AT WHICH TIME WE GOT A 'NOSEWHEEL STEERING INOP' CAUTION MESSAGE. AS THE PNF; I CALLED OUT THE MALFUNCTION; AND THE CAPT STOPPED THE ACFT ON THE RWY. I INFORMED ATC THAT WE HAD NO NOSEWHEEL STEERING AND THAT WE WOULD NEED SOME EXTRA TIME TO VACATE THE RWY. IN THIS ACFT; (THE CANADAIR REGIONAL JET); WITH THIS KIND OF FAILURE THE NOSEWHEEL REVERTS TO A FREE CASTORING MODE WITH 70 DEGS OF MOVEMENT ABOUT THE CTRED POS. THIS TYPE OF FAILURE MAKES TAXIING MORE CHALLENGING. THE CAPT USED LOTS OF DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING AND TAXIED OFF RWY 2L IN BNA TO OUR RAMP; AT WHICH POINT IT WAS NECESSARY TO HAVE OUR STATION TOW US IN TO OUR PARKING SPOT. THE CAPT CALLED OUR COMPANY MAINT CTL AFTER WRITING UP THE FAILURE IN THE MAINT LOG. OUR MAINT CTL CALLED CONTRACT MAINT ON THE FIELD; WHO ARRIVED AFTER APPROX AN HR TO WORK ON THE AIRPLANE. HE WAS UNABLE TO FIX THE PROB; AND SIGNED THE ACFT LOG AS BEING SAFE TO FERRY BACK TO CVG. AT APPROX XA10 LCL; AFTER OBTAINING A NEW DISPATCH RELEASE WE DEPARTED FOR A FERRY FLT BACK TO CVG. THE CAPT ONCE AGAIN HAD DIFFICULTY TAXIING THE ACFT AND MAINTAINING THE CTRLINE. AT THIS POINT; WE BOTH BEGAN TO HAVE OUR DOUBTS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF GETTING THIS ACFT AIRBORNE WITH NO NOSEWHEEL STEERING. AFTER REACHING THE RWY THRESHOLD; WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. AS IT WAS MY LEG TO FLY; THE CAPT ATTEMPTED TO GET THE AIRPLANE ON THE CTRLINE BEFORE XFERRING CTL OVER TO ME. ONCE AGAIN; HE WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY CTLING THE AIRPLANE; AT WHICH POINT THE TWR INFORMED US THERE WAS TFC ON A 3 MI FINAL TO OUR RWY; AND THAT WE WOULD NEED TO GET ROLLING IMMEDIATELY. I INFORMED THE TWR THAT WE WERE ABORTING AND VACATING THE RWY. THE CAPT STATED TO ME THAT HE THOUGHT THE KEY TO TAKING OFF WITH A FREE-CASTORING NOSEWHEEL WAS TO GET THE ACFT ON THE CTRLINE WITH NOSEWHEEL CTRED BEFORE APPLYING TKOF PWR. WE AGREED TO TRY IT AGAIN AND IF EITHER OF US FELT UNCOMFORTABLE AT ANY TIME DURING THE TKOF THAT WE WOULD ABORT. I TAXIED BACK TO THE ACTIVE RWY TO GET THE FEEL OF IT AND IT WAS INDEED CHALLENGING TO CTL. WE WERE CLRED INTO POS AND HOLD ON THE RWY; AND THE CAPT TOOK HIS TIME TO GET THE AIRPLANE CTRED. HE XFERRED CTL TO ME AND I SMOOTHLY ADVANCED THE THRUST AT WHICH POINT THE AIRPLANE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN VEERING OFF THE CTRLINE. THE RUDDER PEDALS SEEMED TO HAVE NO EFFECT IN CTLING AT SLOW SPD AND ONLY DIVERGENT OSCILLATIONS RESULTED. WE ABORTED THE TKOF AGAIN AND AGREED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS UNSAFE TO FERRY BACK. I FEEL THAT THE AIRPLANE MAY HAVE BECOME MORE CONTROLLABLE HAD WE BEEN ABLE TO GAIN MORE SPD; CREATING AERODYNAMIC LOAD ON THE CTL SURFACES; BUT WE REALLY HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING AND WERE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE POTENTIAL RISK INVOLVED. BECAUSE THIS WAS A DEFERRABLE ITEM PER OUR MEL; AND THAT WE TECHNICALLY COULD CARRY REVENUE PAX FOR A ONE-TIME FLT IN THIS STATE; WE SHOULD BE COMPETENT IN OPERATING THE AIRPLANE WITH NO NOSEWHEEL STEERING. I HEARTILY DISAGREE WITH THAT PHILOSOPHY; AS WE NEVER RECEIVED INITIAL TRAINING OPERATING IN THIS STATE; AND WE ARE NOT TEST PLTS. I FEEL THAT BECAUSE THE FLC IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE FLT; THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THE FINAL SAY AS TO WHETHER IT'S SAFE TO GO OR NOT; WITHOUT FEAR OF RETRIBUTION OR 'PUNITIVE' ACTION FROM OUR MGMNT. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS AN ECONOMIC ISSUE; AND THAT THE COMPANY IS RELUCTANT TO SEND SOMEONE OUT TO PROPERLY FIX THE PROB DUE TO THE INCREASED COST AND LOST REVENUE. I WOULD HOPE THAT THE FAA WOULD REVISIT AND REVIEW THIS ITEM AS BEING SAFE TO BE DEFERRED.