Poll: Are you over or under 170lbs?

Do you meet Piper's weight limit?

  • Yes, I weigh 170lbs or less, in full flight gear

    Votes: 80 30.8%

  • No, I weigh more than 170lbs in full flight gear

    Votes: 180 69.2%
  • Total voters
    260
Jim_R

Jim_R

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Jim
On a Piper forum, the topic of individual seat weight limits arose, and a query to the Piper home office elicited the reply that seats were certified to 170lbs, and Piper did not recommend that weight limit being exceeded.

A user on the site pointed out that any pilot weighing more than 170lbs should consider himself a test pilot, as they were exceeding the manufacturer's weight limit for the seat.

That may be true, but if so, I wonder how many test pilots we have out there.

No need to publicly post your weight here, unless you want to. I'm just curious how many of us are over/under 170lbs. (For the purposes of this poll, please include your "fully dressed" weight, including an extra pound or two for a pocketful of change and/or George Costanza wallet.)
 
I honestly had never even thought of this being a problem. Is this on both new and old Piper's? Wow.

David
 
I'm at 190 with typical clothing/wallet/etc on and I'd expect most adult males would be over 170.

I always thought 170 was supposed to be an average... and in fact it seems like if you take into account that women are typically lighter and average a healthy sized couple out you'd get pretty close to that number.
 
I am 6'1" and have been within 5 lbs of 190 since high school ( over 40) years ago )...... If I am considered overweight ..... then so be it...:(:rolleyes2:
 
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cowman said:
I'm at 190 with typical clothing/wallet/etc on and I'd expect most adult males would be over 170.

I always thought 170 was supposed to be an average... and in fact it seems like if you take into account that women are typically lighter and average a healthy sized couple out you'd get pretty close to that number.
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That's one thing for weight and balance but for seats it has to do with crashworthiness and possibly structural loads under certain G loading scenarios.

I last saw 170 in my rearview mirror in about 1994. And at 6'2" 170 = skinny AF, which I was then.
 
167. 172 in full flight gear. At least that's what it said on this months weigh in at work.
 
Right at 170, winter time if I'm in big boots, jackets, etc I'm probably a hair over.

I'm not flying a Piper though.
 
In my years as an A&P I've seen and repaired more than a few broken aircraft seats. I'd say a good percentage of them have never seen a 170 lb person since rolling off the factory floor.
 
68 inches tall, bath scale this morning indicated ~148 lbs. Typically I'm ~152 lbs dressed.
In years gone by I had gotten to over 180 lbs.
 
Is this limit in the POH somewhere?
 
jordane93 said:
140 pounds. All muscle.
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Might I suggest

image.jpg


:D
 
190 naked.

Wrestled in HS at 135(same height!)... Not fat, but not as skinny as I used to be. Diet started last week and my goal is ultimately 170.
 
Like the comedian, Ron White, I'm between 5'-10" and 6'-3", depending on which convenience store I'm leaving. I weigh right at 200lbs in street clothes.

Mark
 
Been 5' 10" 165-170 since high school. At age 52, I take some narcissistic pride in that!
:)
 
6'1" and 185 pounds.
 
I'm a hair over 175. If I got to the gym a little more often I can get below 170 easily.
 
6' 225. My instructor used to worry that we wouldn't be able to wrestle the controls from me, lol. I'm mostly muscle, but could drop 15-20lbs and be pretty lean. Either way, I'm not getting under 170lbs unless I develop cancer.
 
If the aircraft is rated for 3.8 G positive and figure a factor of safety of at least 1.5 so now we're talking, what, 5.7 G positive so if you're 50% over that 170 pound limit you're giving up 0.5 G on breaking the airplane under severe conditions. Assuming the seat, or the fuselage beneath it, is even the weak link in the chain, which I doubt. I really don't think it makes that much difference.

Correction to bad math above, if you're 50% over the 170 then you're giving up your, supposed on my part, 50% factor of safety built into the aircraft, take it or leave it. Again, assuming the seat or the fuselage beneath is the weak link, which, again, I find a stretch.
 
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Right sear in my Cherokee were broken by an over 170 pounder. May be some truth to it.

But I weigh much, much more. I never broke a seat with my fatass.
 
My bud trained in the same Cherokee 140 as me and he's gotta be 240 easy.
 
I stood on a scale Saturday that said my weight was 140 lbs fully clothed. I told Mrs. Steingar we need a scale just like it.
 
I'm right at 180. My zero fat weight is about 175.
 
flhrci said:
I honestly had never even thought of this being a problem. Is this on both new and old Piper's? Wow.

David
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Yup.

acrophile said:
Is this limit in the POH somewhere?
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Nope. Came from an email with Piper in response to a question.

Here's the full text of the response:
Dear Sir:

Piper Aircraft tests the seats & seat belts installed in our aircraft for crash load conditions as specified in FAA FAR 23.561. The belts and seats are tested to 170 pounds at the attach points with a safety factor of 1.5% . The seats are tested to 6Gs Down force, 3Gs Inboard force and 9Gs Forward applied to a 170 lb. person.

This is still the testing criteria in used today and used on all Cherokees built.

Regards
Tech Support/Airframe
Piper Aircraft, Inc.
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Jim_R said:
Came from an email with Piper in response to a question.

Here's the full text of the response:
Dear Sir:

Piper Aircraft tests the seats & seat belts installed in our aircraft for crash load conditions as specified in FAA FAR 23.561. The belts and seats are tested to 170 pounds at the attach points with a safety factor of 1.5%. The seats are tested to 6Gs Down force, 3Gs Inboard force and 9Gs Forward applied to a 170 lb. person.

This is still the testing criteria [sic] in used [sic] today and used on all Cherokees built.
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Click to expand...

Thanks. That's quite different from what you wrote initially:

a query to the Piper home office elicited the reply that seats were certified to 170lbs, and Piper did not recommend that weight limit being exceeded.

A user on the site pointed out that any pilot weighing more than 170lbs should consider himself a test pilot, as they were exceeding the manufacturer's weight limit for the seat.
Click to expand...

The quote from Piper only addresses its crash-testing. It says nothing about 170# being a limit, nothing about not exceeding it, nothing that would suggest "test piloting".
 
fiveoboy01 said:
190 naked.

Wrestled in HS at 135(same height!)... Not fat, but not as skinny as I used to be. Diet started last week and my goal is ultimately 170.
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You wrestled naked in HS? We really didn't need to know that. ;)

I'm over 170. I'll vouch that Piper seats will break after several thousand hours of being abused by people who weigh more than 170 lbs. Usually on climbout.
 
139-lbs since teen age - now 85-years old...still flying...no fat, not much meat either!
 
Jim_R said:
On a Piper forum, the topic of individual seat weight limits arose, and a query to the Piper home office elicited the reply that seats were certified to 170lbs, and Piper did not recommend that weight limit being exceeded.

A user on the site pointed out that any pilot weighing more than 170lbs should consider himself a test pilot, as they were exceeding the manufacturer's weight limit for the seat.

That may be true, but if so, I wonder how many test pilots we have out there.

No need to publicly post your weight here, unless you want to. I'm just curious how many of us are over/under 170lbs. (For the purposes of this poll, please include your "fully dressed" weight, including an extra pound or two for a pocketful of change and/or George Costanza wallet.)
Click to expand...


Ok, now look at part 25 airline transport certification rules.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-id...831ed5e8&mc=true&node=se14.1.25_1785&rgn=div8

(f) Each seat or berth, and its supporting structure, and each safety belt or harness and its anchorage must be designed for an occupant weight of 170 pounds, considering the maximum load factors, inertia forces, and reactions among the occupant, seat, safety belt, and harness for each relevant flight and ground load condition (including the emergency landing conditions prescribed in §25.561). In addition—

What does that tell you? That says to me the seat and belts holding a very overweight person is likely to collapse in a crash. (I'm not an engineer nor have I ever worked for a seat manufacturer)
 
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