Easy Ballast Ideas

Initial Fix

Initial Fix

En-Route
PoA Supporter
Joined
Jul 10, 2019
Messages
2,503
Location
Central Midwest
Display Name
Initial Fix
I saw this article on AvBrief and was wondering what others do when they need easy to use ballast ? AvBrief Ballast Article

Years ago I took a friend flying who at the time easily weighed in at 350 pounds. In my bonanza that put us forward of the CG envelope. So I just put scuba weights in the baggage area to balance things out.
 
I use Powerblocks adjustable dumbbells. Mine go from five to 45 pounds. So far I haven’t needed more weight, but if that was the case I have a stack of Olympic plates in all weights.
 
tsts4 said:
For the past 11 years I've used a 5 gal water cube used for camping. My plane has an empty forward CG so when solo having 40 lbs in back helps immensely. I like using water because it's easy to add or dump no matter where I go.
Click to expand...

Water containers are convenient because you can adjust as needed without having to always carry weight or having to leave your weights behind. Say you fly solo somewhere to pick up 3 passengers for the return leg, just dump the water on the ramp and you are still good to go.
 
midwestpa24 said:
Say you fly solo somewhere to pick up 3 passengers for the return leg, just dump the water on the ramp and you are still good to go.
Click to expand...
Or next to the ramp if it’s wintertime. I can’t count the number of ice patches I’ve seen from people dumping water or coffee on the ramp when it’s below zero out.
 
midwestpa24 said:
Water containers are convenient because you can adjust as needed without having to always carry weight or having to leave your weights behind. Say you fly solo somewhere to pick up 3 passengers for the return leg, just dump the water on the ramp and you are still good to go.
Click to expand...
when it can be kept above freezing water container is really the best. As mentioned easy to dump and fill as needed. But has the added benefit if you end up putting it down in a remote area and have to spend a day or two waiting for help having a few gallons of drinking water would be invaluable.

Brian
 
Half Fast said:
Why not fill the containers with sand? Still easy to dump, no freezing concerns.
Click to expand...
I used to carry a couple of sandbags in the nose baggage of a Citation for when I flew it solo. If I needed the weight, I’d leave them at the FBO when I picked up passengers and collected them again on my way back through.

Trouble with sand is, if I drop off passengers someplace other than where I picked them up, I’d have to find more sand. Water is available at most FBOs.
 
MauleSkinner said:
Trouble with sand is, if I drop off passengers someplace other than where I picked them up, I’d have to find more sand.
Click to expand...

Nope, just fill them with water in that example. You can use either one, depending on the circumstance.
 
Since I lost weight, the CJ is too far aft, when empty of pax.
But when full or long leg, I really don’t want (or need) the ballast.
So I have a 46# bag of sand in the nose.
If I go solo to pick up passengers for a long leg, I can use the ballast to get there then potentially dump it.
So far haven’t needed to go find sand to refill the bag, that might be a trick.
Don’t care for water b/c of leak potential.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6817.jpeg
    IMG_6817.jpeg
    266.6 KB · Views: 1
Let'sgoflying! said:
Since I lost weight, the CJ is too far aft, when empty of pax.
But when full or long leg, I really don’t want (or need) the ballast.
So I have a 46# bag of sand in the nose.
If I go solo to pick up passengers for a long leg, I can use the ballast to get there then potentially dump it.
So far haven’t needed to go find sand to refill the bag, that might be a trick.
Don’t care for water b/c of leak potential.
Click to expand...
I can’t remember what I bought, maybe a case of oil, the one time it happened to me.
 
When my tools and survival gear aren’t enough? Shot bags are small and heavy. My exp Cub needs aft ballast so I milled a solid steel tailwheel spacer. Put the weight all the way aft. I made a 20# lead ingot for the tail of my Skywagon. Placed it against the tail section bulkhead.
That’s been removed. I need to finish another tailwheel spacer for the Wagon.IMG_0481.jpegIMG_0477.jpeg
 
Stewartb said:
When my tools and survival gear aren’t enough? Shot bags are small and heavy. My exp Cub needs aft ballast so I milled a solid steel tailwheel spacer. Put the weight all the way aft. I made a 20# lead ingot for the tail of my Skywagon. Placed it against the tail section bulkhead.
That’s been removed. I need to finish another tailwheel spacer for the Wagon.View attachment 154016
Click to expand...
BATF is going to see that pic and conclude you are manufacturing a big-honking 4 shot ghost gun revolver. Expect the black Suburbans at your door shortly.
 
Case of water sounds like a good choice.
Non flammable somewhat soft.
 
Stewartb said:
When my tools and survival gear aren’t enough? Shot bags are small and heavy. My exp Cub needs aft ballast so I milled a solid steel tailwheel spacer. Put the weight all the way aft. I made a 20# lead ingot for the tail of my Skywagon. Placed it against the tail section bulkhead.
That’s been removed. I need to finish another tailwheel spacer for the Wagon.
Click to expand...

Depleted uranium ftw
 
I fly with 3 cases of water when just 2 people and no bags. Still just barely in envelope.

Dad hates how the plane feels and insists on removing 2 of them when he flies despite it being forward of the envelope. He wants to get it weighed not believing the calculated empty weight.
 
Cloth bags with lead shot used for reloading shot shells..
 
I have 3 different water containers (those square blue things) - 2 gal, 4 gal, 8 gal (which I only put 7 gal). One of them is always in the baggage area of the cherokee, usually it's the 8 gal unless I have people with me. With just me, it's within CG but very far forward with full tanks. Takeoffs are much easier and smoother with that 50# in the back.
 
If the ballast is for CG purposes, two 5-gal gas cans filled with 100LL will do.
 
We used to use two-foot sections of auto inner tube, held closed at both ends with hose clamps, and filled with rice. The rice would have been edible if we had to go down in remote areas when we were doing mountain flight training, and had to wait for some time for the SAR guys to find us. In Canada, water will freeze and burst its containers during too much of the year.
 
murphey said:
I have 3 different water containers (those square blue things) - 2 gal, 4 gal, 8 gal (which I only put 7 gal). One of them is always in the baggage area of the cherokee, usually it's the 8 gal unless I have people with me. With just me, it's within CG but very far forward with full tanks. Takeoffs are much easier and smoother with that 50# in the back.
Click to expand...
Solo and with full fuel, my Warrior II seems fly a bit better with the CG adjusted rearward a few inches. A 35 lb toolbox and a 35 lb accessories bin does the job nicely.
 
All I can think about while reading this thread is Newton's 1st law of motion & a projectile with some substantial mass taking my head off in an off-field landing.

I try not to ignore this thought when absolutely stuffing loading my Skyhawk for the annual trip to/from Oshkosh.
 
For my CP checkride, I needed ballast in the DA-40. Flight school had a 40 plate weight that we strapped (very securely!) into the back seat. Only time I've ever needed one.
 
baboss said:
All I can think about while reading this thread is Newton's 1st law of motion & a projectile with some substantial mass taking my head off in an off-field landing.

I try not to ignore this thought when absolutely stuffing loading my Skyhawk for the annual trip to/from Oshkosh.
Click to expand...
Yep, make very sure whatever ballast you are using is well-secured. I always hated seeing folks use like steel weights or similar things. Hate to have an otherwise surviveable off-runway event and have it go the other way as a result of projectile ballast...
 
With myself and another *ahem* full-sized individual, my plane is just barely forward of the CG limit. We're talking a tiny "is this a normaliziation of deviance or within the bounds of reasonable" amount. A case or two of oil in the back puts things back nicely in the CG box.
 
murphey said:
I have 3 different water containers (those square blue things) - 2 gal, 4 gal, 8 gal (which I only put 7 gal). One of them is always in the baggage area of the cherokee, usually it's the 8 gal unless I have people with me. With just me, it's within CG but very far forward with full tanks. Takeoffs are much easier and smoother with that 50# in the back.
Click to expand...
This sounds like one of the math problems my wife gives her students at the begining of class. How do you get exactly 7 gal.?
 
10, 20, 50 lb is easy. I needed 50-200 lb in 50 lb increments for gross weight/aft cg testing.
At first I used bottles of oil and jugs of water but by the end I was throwing in bottle jacks, bucking bars, dive weights, and anything else I could find that was small and dense.

ballast-jpg.119867

Trust me when I say I was nervous about it coming at me if I had to go off-field.

Nauga,
who is big and dense
 
AV8R_87 said:
If the ballast is for CG purposes, two 5-gal gas cans filled with 100LL will do.
Click to expand...
Yeah, fuel vapors in a small enclosed environment with lots of electrical stuff, what could go wrong...
And 10 extra gallons that'll kill you due to blunt force trauma and/or douse you in the case of an accident, what could go wrong...
 
Alaskan pilots usually don’t fly empty! This load wasn’t as heavy as 90 gallons of gas in the cabin but it sure smells better.
IMG_1203.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top