Ever weigh your junk?

455 Bravo Uniform

455 Bravo Uniform

Final Approach
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455 Bravo Uniform
No, not that.

I pulled everything out of my plane before my annual, and reorganized it before putting it back in. I made sure I actually needed it back in the plane and where exactly to put it. Before doing so, I brought the bathroom scale to the airport. I was shocked that I put 40 lbs of stuff back in the plane, from front floor console, pens, paper, yoke EFB mount, USB charger, to front seatback pockets, headsets, rear floor console, first aid kit, jacket, 3 bottles oil, and 5 gal plastic bucket to store some of it and doubles as my step stool (high winger).

Weigh your junk, you may be surprised.
 
I have generally always rounded up on passengers to account for headsets and unaccounted for stuff. I also tend to keep some oil, batteries, tie downs, chalks, cowel plugs, and a cover in the plane. I routinely add 10 or 15 lbs in may w&b to account for that stuff. Maybe it should be more.

Also remember the POH, 337 supplements, and if you keep your legs on the plane also add weight.

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Its a good thing. My planes have all flown better with 40# or so in the back. Tools, ropes, coats, etc. My new plane is the same. I'm carrying a heavy pack just for ballast.
 
I'm sure you're aware I never hesitate to whip out my junk but in all honesty it's nothing to write home about. tow bar, coupl'a quartz'a oil, spray cleaner for the winders, extra headset.
 
I allow a little more than the standard 170lbs to compensate for the added weight of my junk.
 
It's one thing to weigh it before you put it back in, but does anyone measure it? If your junk is gross, or giving you reason to be near gross, you could always shave your junk to just the essentials. Keep your junk secured, too, because "step on the ball" only applies to coordinated turns, and you don't want any extra junk rolling around under the rudder pedals. I definitely don't want to get hit in the back of the head with my junk while landing, so I keep my junk under a cargo net. Junk. Junkjunkjunk. Ok, balls to the wall, it's time to go flying!
 
SkyDog58 said:
I hear that high wing pilots have more junk than low wing pilots.
Click to expand...
Is this going to turn into a wing measuring contest?

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My airplane will heft all the junk I can fit in it so long as I don't try and fill it with meatbags.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
No, not that.

I pulled everything out of my plane before my annual, and reorganized it before putting it back in. I made sure I actually needed it back in the plane and where exactly to put it. Before doing so, I brought the bathroom scale to the airport. I was shocked that I put 40 lbs of stuff back in the plane, from front floor console, pens, paper, yoke EFB mount, USB charger, to front seatback pockets, headsets, rear floor console, first aid kit, jacket, 3 bottles oil, and 5 gal plastic bucket to store some of it and doubles as my step stool (high winger).

Weigh your junk, you may be surprised.
Click to expand...

I did it. Not every little thing everywhere, but I did weigh the stuff I keep back in the baggage compartment. I found a scale at the airport to do it.
 
Stewartb said:
Its a good thing. My planes have all flown better with 40# or so in the back. Tools, ropes, coats, etc. My new plane is the same. I'm carrying a heavy pack just for ballast.
Click to expand...

Same here. It was about CG, not gross, when I did it. I was never worried about going thirsty if I went down somewhere. I had lotsa water back there
 
It's not just how much your junk weighs, but where it hangs, if you know what I mean. Consult your POH for details.
 
I've always assumed my junk to weight around 50# for W&B purposes.
 
I usually figure about 30 lbs of stuff. I also add 10 pounds to whatever a passenger says they weigh for W&B because people don't think about how much their clothes, shoes, wallets, keys, phones, etc add to what they think they weigh.
 
I've seen close to 20 pounds of plain old dust and dirt come out of the bottom of a plane.
 
Here's my junk. It lives in the baggage area. I add a quart if oil when traveling, and the canopy cover gies on top of baggage to hold it down. The tow bar also lives back there.

20170601_173449_001.jpg
It packs up nicely, too.

20170601_173558.jpg
 
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