FAA Standard Airman Weight

lurkerLuke

lurkerLuke

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Doug
I introduced myself as a non pilot with some dumb questions. Unfortunately I have more dumb posts than questions. So a dumb question.

Was laid off several months ago, one thing I decided to focus on was my weight. Went from ~210 to ~172, birthday suit #'s. Add anywhere from 5 to 9 pounds depending on slacks, jeans, sneakers, boots, etc. Well, and underwear if I managed to do laundry...

Got to thinking about what I recall seeing about FAA standard airman weight being #160. So does one really need to be ~#155 + 5 pounds of clothes to be 'standard'?

Do you guys and gals ( can I say gals? ) come even close to this? Is it too rude to ask the ladies this question?

When you think about your airplane's useful load do you think about your own weight? Not judging, just asking. I'm still ~+#12 from my goal.

You can call me Luke, you can call me Doug. Just don't call me late for dinner.
 
I would bet most, the majority by far, are not FAA standard weight.

Hell yes you can ask a lady her weight, and call 'em gals, this is a new day man!

Yes account for your weight, actual, for weight and balance.

And BTW, there are no dumb questions, although if ya ask one you're gonna get dumb answers. What am I saying, this is POA. A good question asked on POA guarantees dumb answers.

That is all. Carry on!

Oh, before you go, share how you lost so much weight. I hate you!
 
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lurkerLuke said:
I introduced myself as a non pilot with some dumb questions. Unfortunately I have more dumb posts than questions. So a dumb question.

Was laid off several months ago, one thing I decided to focus on was my weight. Went from ~210 to ~172, birthday suit #'s. Add anywhere from 5 to 9 pounds depending on slacks, jeans, sneakers, boots, etc. Well, and underwear if I managed to do laundry...
.
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5 to 9lbs of clothing?! Goodness sakes! You must wear different clothing than I do.

I would imagine that most folks don't fit the FAA standards, especially here in the US of A.
 
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I thought standard weight was 180. I just made it there down from 200. Since I'm never at max gross in my plane, it doesn't really cross my mind when flying.
 
You'll get good at guessing weights, you can also pick you pax up too to check.

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BTW I approve of your avatar :cheerswine:
 
AC120-27E has the weights @jordane93 says. I don't think AC120-27F ever went into effect which means version E is still valid. I'm lighter than standard. Woohoo!!
 
My CFI is 200, I fly a 172 with a useful weight of about 850, with full fuel, me and CFI ...i am sure we are close to max gross... u do the math , and that's after losing 100 lbs

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
WannFly said:
My CFI is 200, I fly a 172 with a useful weight of about 850, with full fuel, me and CFI ...i am sure we are close to max gross... u do the math , and that's after losing 100 lbs
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Full fuel meaning 53gal?

That can't be comfortable in a 172... Did you fly before losing the weight? (Nicely done btw!).
 
deonb said:
Full fuel meaning 53gal?

That can't be comfortable in a 172... Did you fly before losing the weight? (Nicely done btw!).
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yepp all 53 gal.
nopes before loosing the weight the only thing I did was sit on a couch, watch tv and eat. that was working well, but that little voice in my head kept telling me ... if I want to do the stuff I really want, I should get my fat behind off the damn couch. still have another 30 lb to go, but things are moving S-L-O-W
 
But what are you doing to lose that weight? I need to lose about 20 lbs but at 68 it's very difficult. I diet and exercise but basically don't lose a lot. Guess I could just eat carrots....
 
mscard88 said:
But what are you doing to lose that weight? I need to lose about 20 lbs but at 68 it's very difficult. I diet and exercise but basically don't lose a lot. Guess I could just eat carrots....
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old school, eat right, 6 times a day, work out. never tried any shortcut, don't believe in taking short cuts usually doesn't work.
I am stuck in my last 30 lb too, I loose 12 and then gain it back again (I LOVE to eat, in case you haven't figured that out already).. guess will take time. I hear it gets much more difficult after 40, cant imagine 68. 40 is a long way to go for me... I am 21 (I don't count last 18 years)
 
Congratulations on the weight loss. Changing habits is hard. Its amazing what little things like cutting down on sugar and beer, occasionally going for a walk will do for you. Most important thing to do is limit the amount of time where you're just sitting around doing nothing. Human body wasn't meant to do that.
 
I thought the standard number was 175#. Around 1997 they were asking for "volunteers" to move from fore to aft and I said they should get someone with more weight to move. They told me that according to the FAA we're all 175#.

I was offended by having 30#'s added. Many others were probably waxing nostalgic for when they could pretend that number was accurate.

Aging is hell. I've gained 5# since then.
 
My "standard" for the planes I fly is the full fuel payload of the airplane I am flying divided by 4. For 182's that leaves me at 200 pounds a person. Two guys and two girls + bags usually sits below that number.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
AC120-27E has the weights @jordane93 says. I don't think AC120-27F ever went into effect which means version E is still valid. I'm lighter than standard. Woohoo!!
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But AC120-27E also says not to use it for piston aircraft.

BTW, CFR23.562 gives 170lbs.
 
TheGolfPilot said:
My "standard" for the planes I fly is the full fuel payload of the airplane I am flying divided by 4. For 182's that leaves me at 200 pounds a person. Two guys and two girls + bags usually sits below that number.
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Holy cow! That'd put my plane load of people at 153 lb each. But my skimpy 312 lb of fuel will take us further and faster than your 800 lb of fuel wil really, 800 lb of fuel? Over 130 gal? No, you divided the remaining payload by 4, so for me, that's 969 -312 = 657 ÷ 4 = 163 lb each, still kind of small. I don't often fly with four adults, though, so it's rarely a problem, a d when it is, I just don't fill up all the way.
 
WannFly said:
old school, eat right, 6 times a day, work out. never tried any shortcut, don't believe in taking short cuts usually doesn't work.
I am stuck in my last 30 lb too, I loose 12 and then gain it back again (I LOVE to eat, in case you haven't figured that out already).. guess will take time. I hear it gets much more difficult after 40, cant imagine 68. 40 is a long way to go for me... I am 21 (I don't count last 18 years)
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I've lost 20 pounds so far on Atkins. I have 30 to go to 180, which I think is reasonable and attainable.

When I hit a plateau, I buy three dozen eggs and eat nothing but omelets until they're gone. That usually jump starts things.

A friend of mine was horrified when I told her this. She's a nurse who does nutritional counseling and she told me I'd never be able to lose weight "doing Atkins" punctuated by egg fasts. But she's about 110 pounds overweight, so I politely thanked her for her advice, and quietly took it with a grain of salt.

Rich
 
mscard88 said:
I would bet most, the majority by far, are not FAA standard weight.

Hell yes you can ask a lady her weight, and call 'em gals, this is a new day man!

Yes account for your weight, actual, for weight and balance.

And BTW, there are no dumb questions, although if ya ask one you're gonna get dumb answers. What am I saying, this is POA. A good question asked on POA guarantees dumb answers.

That is all. Carry on!

Oh, before you go, share how you lost so much weight. I hate you!
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The weight loss was simple for me; Calories in and calories out.

Note "simple", not "easy".

Since I am looking for work I have a few extra hours in the day with no commute. I have been walking to get things moving, long hard exercycle rides to get pulse rate up and sweat out a lot, and of course a little more careful about what I eat but more importantly to me I think is portion control. This needs to be a lifestyle change or the weight will come back, so I don't deny myself favorite foods. Just portion control and make choices.

James331 said:
You'll get good at guessing weights, you can also pick you pax up too to check.

article-2188828-148EDDDE000005DC-864_634x392.jpg


BTW I approve of your avatar :cheerswine:
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If I knew James would post such an inspiring photo I would have asked this question long ago. :)

Thanks, in case you don't recognize the plane it is called the Double Ender I presume because of being twin centerline. It looks like a pretty cool machine.


WannFly said:
yepp all 53 gal.
nopes before loosing the weight the only thing I did was sit on a couch, watch tv and eat. that was working well, but that little voice in my head kept telling me ... if I want to do the stuff I really want, I should get my fat behind off the damn couch. still have another 30 lb to go, but things are moving S-L-O-W
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Congrats on the 100 pounds, that is a lot of hard work. Keep up on the last 30, the closer you get to your goal the slower it goes off.
 
Hank S said:
Holy cow! That'd put my plane load of people at 153 lb each. But my skimpy 312 lb of fuel will take us further and faster than your 800 lb of fuel wil really, 800 lb of fuel? Over 130 gal? No, you divided the remaining payload by 4, so for me, that's 969 -312 = 657 ÷ 4 = 163 lb each, still kind of small. I don't often fly with four adults, though, so it's rarely a problem, a d when it is, I just don't fill up all the way.
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"Full fuel payload" is how much more weight the plane can take when the tanks are full. That's a pretty common term. A lot of people have arrangements to have the on field fbo keep the tanks topped off unless otherwise noticed. That's what we do. Leaving us with 182RG and a 182P that both can take right at 800 pounds of people and bags when the tanks are topped off. Yes it is a lot of extra weight to carry around regularly, but it's nice to not have to worry about fuel as much. 800 pounds is 4 adults, most of the time.
Somebody with a mooney probably won't want to do that because full tanks might mean only 2 people can get on.
 
Ryanb said:
5 to 9lbs of clothing?! Goodness sakes! You must wear different clothing than I do.

I would imagine that most folks don't fit the FAA standards, especially here in the US of A.
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I agree US of A folks today don't fit, myself included.

You are a gentleman for not just straight out calling BS. My delayed reply is because I wanted to weigh things out. You may well be closer than I am for most folks.

My Levi 501s ( and not very heavy belt ), nothing in pockets, normal underwear ( I managed to do laundry :) ), sneakers, and mid weight sweatshirt came up at 3.9 pounds. In my defense on this low end, I am now wearing several sizes smaller Levis and smaller belt. My original estimate was with the larger jeans and belt.

So I am over on the low end.

On the high end it would be hiking boots instead of sneakers and layered long sleeve shirts including a heavy flannel shirt and water resistant on top if needed. My apologies, I am just not up for getting all that out to weigh. It has to be at least 2 pounds heavier.

Based on the low end I yield on the high end also.

For actual weight in life, ( and an airplane ), most folks have a cell phone, pocket knife, spare change, etc...

And don't forget all you wealthy pilots who have big, thick, heavy wallets in your back pocket. :)
 
TheGolfPilot said:
A lot of people have arrangements to have the on field fbo keep the tanks topped off unless otherwise noticed.
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I was always told this was good practice because A.) if you're flying alone or with one other person (as most usually do) the extra fuel is money in the bank for safety and B.) it helps keep condense out of the tanks

**having said that the protocol at the current club is to leave the plan alone when you leave, in case the next person is going with four people**
 
Ryanb said:
5 to 9lbs of clothing?! Goodness sakes! You must wear different clothing than I do.
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It's not hard to hit 10 pounds of clothing, but it's hard to accurately weigh 10 lb on the bathroom scale. Get on fully dressed, including wallet, knife, keys, change, glasses, belt, watch, cell phone, pen, jewelry, etc. Write it down. Then strip naked, no glasses, rings, etc., and get back in the scale. Write this number down. Subtract the second number from the first, that's what your "clothes" weigh. Please keep the numbers to yourself, but you may report the clothing weight calculated from them.

FYI, my Rockport shoes have a nice wide steel shank in the middle of the soles, saw it on the airport luggage scanner one slow day (makes them heavy, but the arch support is great!). Ten pounds is easy . . .
 
Hank S said:
It's not hard to hit 10 pounds of clothing, but it's hard to accurately weigh 10 lb on the bathroom scale. Get on fully dressed, including wallet, knife, keys, change, glasses, belt, watch, cell phone, pen, jewelry, etc. Write it down. Then strip naked, no glasses, rings, etc., and get back in the scale. Write this number down. Subtract the second number from the first, that's what your "clothes" weigh. Please keep the numbers to yourself, but you may report the clothing weight calculated from them.

FYI, my Rockport shoes have a nice wide steel shank in the middle of the soles, saw it on the airport luggage scanner one slow day (makes them heavy, but the arch support is great!). Ten pounds is easy . . .
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I suppose you're right, although when I think of 'clothing' I'm only thinking apparel, not various gadgets, knives, jewelry etc., as those don't qualify as clothing. I've never been the kind that has to leave home with everything but the kitchen sink, but each to their own.
 
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Ryanb said:
I suppose you're right, although when I think of 'clothing' I'm only thinking apparel, not various gadgets, knives, jewelry etc., as those don't qualify as clothing. Never been the kind that has to leave the house with the kitchen sink, but each to their own.
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Don't you need to account for what you actually weigh when you get in the plane?

My list was intended to encompass the possibilities, not enumerate a standard to be followed. All of us have some of this, some will have more than others. I list 15 lb of "stuff" on the plane for headsets, tools, spare quart of oil, tie down ropes (MUCH lighter than ratchet straps!), etc. Round numbers are also easier on my head, I don't need to know that you were 172 lb when you left the house, I'll use 175 (or 180 if I don't believe you).

We're you wearing that hat when you got on the scales? :cool:
 
Hank S said:
Don't you need to account for what you actually weigh when you get in the plane?

My list was intended to encompass the possibilities, not enumerate a standard to be followed. All of us have some of this, some will have more than others. I list 15 lb of "stuff" on the plane for headsets, tools, spare quart of oil, tie down ropes (MUCH lighter than ratchet straps!), etc. Round numbers are also easier on my head, I don't need to know that you were 172 lb when you left the house, I'll use 175 (or 180 if I don't believe you).

We're you wearing that hat when you got on the scales? :cool:
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I understand what you're saying, I may have taken the original post a bit out of context. The point was, I believe a lot of folks travel/fly themselves with much more than what's necessary and actually needed.
 
I like bacon too much to lose weight. And ice cream. And our BBQ season here is 11 months long.
 
It's absolutely something I think about, I am however also at my target personal weight +/-5lbs. My bird has a large useful load so my weight hasn't been a problem yet, may be a passengers problem who can't fly with me though cause of it lol. I don't think anyone is standard weight these days. At the airline I fly for we use anywhere between 182-195 depending on the season and aircraft variant. The pilots are counted as a superate standard weight. When I'm flying my plane I absolutely ask my passengers what they weigh and bag weight so I can plan fuel
 
Ryanb said:
I understand what you're saying, I may have taken the original post a bit out of context. The point was, I believe a lot of folks travel/fly themselves with much more than what's necessary and actually needed.
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You did not take my post out of context, I did mean birthday suit + clothes. My follow on would be what else is on a person to add weight.
 
Ravioli said:
I thought the standard number was 175#. Around 1997 they were asking for "volunteers" to move from fore to aft and I said they should get someone with more weight to move. They told me that according to the FAA we're all 175#.
Click to expand...

That was my recollection from my college textbooks as well.
 
lurkerLuke said:
I agree US of A folks today don't fit, myself included.

You are a gentleman for not just straight out calling BS. My delayed reply is because I wanted to weigh things out. You may well be closer than I am for most folks.

My Levi 501s ( and not very heavy belt ), nothing in pockets, normal underwear ( I managed to do laundry :) ), sneakers, and mid weight sweatshirt came up at 3.9 pounds. In my defense on this low end, I am now wearing several sizes smaller Levis and smaller belt. My original estimate was with the larger jeans and belt.

So I am over on the low end.

On the high end it would be hiking boots instead of sneakers and layered long sleeve shirts including a heavy flannel shirt and water resistant on top if needed. My apologies, I am just not up for getting all that out to weigh. It has to be at least 2 pounds heavier.

Based on the low end I yield on the high end also.

For actual weight in life, ( and an airplane ), most folks have a cell phone, pocket knife, spare change, etc...

And don't forget all you wealthy pilots who have big, thick, heavy wallets in your back pocket. :)
Click to expand...

My work getup is right at 25 pounds, worn for 10 hours shifts. Fortunately I don't have to wear that while flying. I also don't have a heavy wallet.


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