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What a difference a pound (or two) makes.

DakotaHawk

DakotaHawk

Well Known Member
Looking back at my logbook, I have over 450 hours on my RV-7. With the exception of the 40 hours of Phase One testing, most of the hours on my plane were with me and a passenger, which adds at least 100 pounds or more to my weight. I keep my tanks pretty full, adding another 200 pounds to the aircraft. And there is often luggage in the back for the cross-country trip, sleeping bags and tent for the fly-in, or just a heavy bag of tools - just in case.

I've noticed that my RV-7 feels and flys like a tired old elephant when it's loaded to the gills. Flights to Oshkosh are always the worst, with everything maxed out and flying right at gross weight in the hot summer! Even with the plane flying heavy, it still flys great, but...

I returned from a cross-country flight this weekend with only eight gallons left in the tanks. After unloading my passenger and luggage, I put the plane away for a couple of days.

Today, it's time to do an oil change. I only need to fly for twenty minutes to warm the oil up, and I have eight gallons of gas. Good enough for a couple of laps around the pattern!

My RV virtually leapt off of the runway!:D

The take-off roll was half of what I usually see! And the climb was amazing!

So lesson learned - build it light, and load it light when you want to go out and churn up the sky.
 
Yup. Sure makes a difference. It's almost embarassing to take a passenger along and not feel the plane surge down the runway and leap into the air when it's hot out and the tanks are full. I find myself apologizing and making excuses ... and then realize that what they're used to would still be rolling along the runway trying to get airborne!

I hate winter, but I have to admit that some of my most fun times in Smokey are when it's a bit cold outside and his tanks are half-full. The mains leave the runway within a couple hundred feet and he climbs like a homesick angel!
 
Exact same thoughts

Scott, I had the exact same thoughts. After my maxed weight 30 day trip I too was overdue for an oil/filter change. I emptied the aircraft and had about 12 gal on board. Took off to warm the oil and rediscovered a quick, agile RV-6. Not that I don't like hauling my wife and all our gear around. It's the reason I built it light (1037). I like the feel of the light airplane. Great reminder for those still pounding them rivets. Every pound counts.



DakotaHawk said:
Looking back at my logbook, I have over 450 hours on my RV-7. With the exception of the 40 hours of Phase One testing, most of the hours on my plane were with me and a passenger, which adds at least 100 pounds or more to my weight. I keep my tanks pretty full, adding another 200 pounds to the aircraft. And there is often luggage in the back for the cross-country trip, sleeping bags and tent for the fly-in, or just a heavy bag of tools - just in case.

I've noticed that my RV-7 feels and flys like a tired old elephant when it's loaded to the gills. Flights to Oshkosh are always the worst, with everything maxed out and flying right at gross weight in the hot summer! Even with the plane flying heavy, it still flys great, but...

I returned from a cross-country flight this weekend with only eight gallons left in the tanks. After unloading my passenger and luggage, I put the plane away for a couple of days.

Today, it's time to do an oil change. I only need to fly for twenty minutes to warm the oil up, and I have eight gallons of gas. Good enough for a couple of laps around the pattern!

My RV virtually leapt off of the runway!:D

The take-off roll was half of what I usually see! And the climb was amazing!

So lesson learned - build it light, and load it light when you want to go out and churn up the sky.
Click to expand...
 
As the late great airplane designer John Thorpe said: "Build it as light as possible and only as strong as necessary."
 
Now just imagine if the typical overweight American would get himself on a fitness program and loose 20-30 pounds! Then, no matter how they loaded the plane, it would still be 20-30 pounds lighter on every flight!!
 
Interestingly enough, I was just thinking about the same thing during our last weekend trip. We have a new girl (Molly, a German shepherd) that flies with us pretty much any were we go and with all the added toys, clothing and full tanks, our climb rate are affected some but still beats any old certified work horse like Cessna or Piper. Last weekend there was a Piper that took off ahead of us and he had not gone far before we reached and passed him up high.
 
s10sakota said:
Now just imagine if the typical overweight American would get himself on a fitness program and loose 20-30 pounds! Then, no matter how they loaded the plane, it would still be 20-30 pounds lighter on every flight!!
Click to expand...

I did just that last year and it really does work. -33# by just consuming less, and Tanya is still confused every time she packs the airplane for a cross country and still has lots of extra load available. Truly the easiest and cheapest airplane weight savings.
 
Not my original thought - and these are not my slides

As my friend and colleague Russell Erb is fond of saying, "Every pound of extra weight is made up of 32 half ounces." :)
 
New Performance Mod From A.S.A.

.... We are now offering our super "Performance Mod" for all RVs. More speed, better climb rate, better ground handling, shorter take-offs, shorter landings and less fuel burn. All you need do is purchase our very expensive instructions (Shipping included). Read them, follow them to the letter and wallah, your RV will perform like never before. The performance gains will be incredible and if you can get your significant other to to get involved and work with you on this well you won't believe the difference. Be sure to get your order in early as these will most likely go very fast. Please tell all your friends about the new B & B Mod (Booty & Belly diet) from Anti-Splat-Aero. Wow 50 or 100 lbs. off the plane, sounds like a winner to me. Thanks, Allan...:D:D
 
This application will work too :D


683px-Duct-tape.jpg
 
I could do with losing 10-20 lbs, helping with the weight of my 8 when it's built might be just the incentive I need.
 
Sounds like we're all agreeing that the best way to improve the performance of Vlad's RV-9 is to stop buying him lunch and beer.

- mark
 
Wisdom of Burt

I once heard Burt Rutan say that one should take all of the options and accessories that are being considered for installation, and throw them into the air...those that come back down are too heavy!

Rob Erdos
 
RV6_flyer said:
As the late great airplane designer John Thorpe said: "Build it as light as possible and only as strong as necessary."
Click to expand...

You should read "Boyd." He "invented" the idea of the EM diagram, and also birthed the idea that lead to the F-16 and F-18. Great airplanes until we loaded them down with junk. A heavy F-18 is a truck and performs like it. Slick it off and burn half the gas out of it, and you can hurt yourself!

Amazing what weight does to an airplane. :D Van was onto something!
 
My wife and I have a recumbent tandem bicycle. It was affectionately called "Freightliner" as it handled like a truck. That was last summer. This summer we are a combined 70 pounds lighter on the bike and in handles like a dream. That was encouragement to keep us going to reach our goals. People pay lots of money to purchase light-weight equipment (for both their planes and bikes) when the best weight-savings that are done are on the body.
 
After many years of working on reducing my "excess baggage," I am proud to announce I no longer have a single ounce of excess body fat. I went on the metric system...

Bob
 
Sig600 said:
You should read "Boyd." He "invented" the idea of the EM diagram, and also birthed the idea that lead to the F-16 and F-18. Great airplanes until we loaded them down with junk. A heavy F-18 is a truck and performs like it. Slick it off and burn half the gas out of it, and you can hurt yourself!

Amazing what weight does to an airplane. :D Van was onto something!
Click to expand...

'Boyd, The fighter pilot who changed the art of war'. By Robert Coram.
A first class book about the Boyd. A real eye-opener about
how some in the USAF/Pentagon ruined the F-16 because they didn't want it showing up 'their' F-15, among other things. Clever guy. At a USAF fighter training school his rep was that he could clear a plane off of his '6' and get on his adversary's '6' in 20 secs, a bet was involved, I understand he never lost. I think they were using F-100's at the time. He did a treatise on combat maneuvering can't remember the title, good stuff. Predated 'Shaw' by quite a long time.
 
My wife and I cost us 8 gallons from full for a trip. 48 pounds in excess.
It's really hard for me to lose weight.
The wife has been missing for a week now.
Police said to prepare for the worst.
So I have been to the charity shop to get all her clothes back.
 
Race cars too

Funny stories. i once worked on a amateur race team. The owner spent lots of money saving a few pounds or gain a few seconds of lap time. Funny thing was he was 30# overweight, but I could never get him to go to the gym. The $30/ month gym membership would have saved him probably 3K over 2 years.

I like Rutan's comments. How much weight does a glass cockpit save over steam gauges?
 
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