Alan,
Hope the flight goes well. Sounds like you have prepared properly.
As for CG, I am afraid that since this is such a simple airplane, I pull
out the paper form in my checklist and do a quick calc by hand if I am
out of one of my standard load calculations. I had a CG calculator on
my computer and it worked flawlessly, but found it took longer to start
it up, input the garbage, and check the result than it took to do it by
hand. Especially with my standardized computations sheets.
I purchased expensive scales for my shop wt and balance work and
calibrated them of course. Once I do the wt and balance, and compute
the ranges, I must admit I have become somewhat cavalier in my wt and
balance checks. Yes, I am acquiring bad habits.
The reason is, or should I say excuse:
When we finish a plane here we do a number of calculations. Initial
test flight; then max pilot and pax wt with zero fuel and baggage for
max forward CG; then max aft which is usually a 120 pound pilot, max
fuel and max baggage; typical pilot and copilot with full fuel and 2.5
gallon landing and a couple of flight bags for local flying; cross
country pilot and passenger, full takeoff and landing fuel, full baggage
or what the CG or GW will allow. Then I print them up on a sheet for
inclusion in the handbook. Should the owner exceed any of these set CG
comps (like taking off well over max design gross takeoff weight), I go
fly with them and do stalls noting the increases and difference in
break, slow flight, maneuvering and approaches and landings with them
until they are comfortable, understand the load limit restrictions (as
they are well into the safety factors the G limits are changed). I
especially do this if the empty plane is really heavy. Many times I add
stall strips to give better buffet warning prior to the stall.
I have found that I prefer the CG of a fully serviced with oil and
coolant airplane empty CG to be 60 inches. That way a 180 pound pilot,
full or half fuel load for the test flight and only a flight bag allows
me to easily control the plane even if the trim should fail or run away.
On cross country cruising, this allows full fuel for takeoff, full
luggage at 80 pounds and another 180 pound pilot without worry.
Regards,
Bud
----- Original Message -----
From: Alan Carter<mailto:alancarteresq@onetel.net>
To: europa-list@matronics.com<mailto:europa-list@matronics.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 04, 2013 6:10 PM
Subject: Europa-List: Re: wing lift/drag pins
<alancarteresq@onetel.net<mailto:alancarteresq@onetel.net>>
Hi Bud again,
Its been 14 years since I was flying, and the old memory is not as
good.
All I can remember is bendy wings, and use to have a weight and
balance sheet and it had this Zero Fuel Weight , think it was about
122000 lbs,
I have this C of G calculator and when I do a weight and balance with
the Europa figures I get an Out of Zero Fuel Wight some times, can,t see
how this applies to a Europa, no wing tanks,
Am I missing something,
Regards.
Alan
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