JohnSBA
Pre-takeoff checklist
I was talking with an expert pilot about the service ceiling of a 172M (if I recall correctly the POH number was 13.5k'), that I found was less than eager to climb above 9kMSL. My assertion was that it would be practically impossible to reach 13k at gross in that particular plane.
Was I just too impatient? Clearly if one climbed long enough, enough fuel would have been consumed to bring the actual load well below gross. I still plan flights in the much more capable 172Q I now fly, so as to have minimum fuel during any portion of the flight where extra climb capability might be useful (mountains, etc.). Though I never did solely focus on reaching the absolute service ceiling of the 172M, my purpose wasn't to do that but rather fly near that limit with enough reserve climb capability to deal with unforeseen variables.
The discussion boiled down to two main points that I'm soliciting your comments on:
Was I just too impatient? Clearly if one climbed long enough, enough fuel would have been consumed to bring the actual load well below gross. I still plan flights in the much more capable 172Q I now fly, so as to have minimum fuel during any portion of the flight where extra climb capability might be useful (mountains, etc.). Though I never did solely focus on reaching the absolute service ceiling of the 172M, my purpose wasn't to do that but rather fly near that limit with enough reserve climb capability to deal with unforeseen variables.
The discussion boiled down to two main points that I'm soliciting your comments on:
- Is it even possible to reach published service ceiling at gross or is that just a takeoff weight?
- How much margin do most pilots want when choosing their own actual service ceiling on a given flight?