Jeremy: It seems that over the years, planes, like their owners, tend to put on weight.
As Stephan stated, if you fly over gross, you're your own test pilot. The structure, recommended speeds and performance specs are all predicated on the published gross weight being observed. And yes, the insurance company and NTSB will both zero in on any transgression should there be an (even unrelated) incident. I have never seen a plane that, when weighed, came out to be LESS than the "assumed" weight. Usually it's the other way round. "One way to gain 100 lbs of ugly fat is to have your plane weighed". Now, the reality is that many folks regularly fly over gross with 2 seaters of this vintage (Coupes, Cessna 120/140, Luscombe, etc). The most critical issues are CG and performance. I'm not condoning operations over gross, but if you're over gross and the CG is too far aft and it's a hot day, you'd be a fool to try and clear those trees at the end of the 1200 ft strip. (Especially if you can't make the static RPM limit!) So, given your situation, I think I'd look for a lighter plane, or one with a higher gross. John __________________________________________________________________________ ______ To unsubscribe from this list please send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
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