Quote:
Originally Posted by PilotBrent
Weight and balance. Did the W&B more of interest to me as I had the fuel tank drained. See your point that several of the optional cabin items can move around affecting the CG. Sill have the scales so probably should redo with everything optional removed and then add that to the logbook.
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What you've established in this exercise is a very important number - Basic Operating Weight, or BOW. This is the handiest number that we, as pilots, can have available to us.
A true Empty Weight, as defined by the FAA, is not particularly useful to us when we're standing on the ramp on a hot day, trying to figure out how much fuel we can add to the tank to stay within gross weight and CofG limits.
By contrast, the BOW takes away all the math associated with adding engine oil etc etc. The BOW is the "flying weight" of the airplane - add to it your pilot and passenger weight, fuel and cargo, and you've quickly and easily arrived at your current aircraft weight.
When I calculate BOW I also add my own weight (+10lbs for winter ops) so the only variables are passenger, fuel and cargo. Knowing your BOW means you'll have fewer opportunities to make errors when calculating current aircraft loaded weight and CofG.