Don

Well Known Member
It appears that I am going to be the owner of a flying RV-9A. With a little luck, the transfer will happen next week (and yes, I plan to keep building my 9A). I have what I hope is a simple question - the plane does not come with a POH. As an experimental aircraft, my understanding is it does not need a POH.
Nonetheless, I want one.

I assume then that it is acceptable for me to write my own POH based on data I collect for things like Vx, Vy, Vs1, Vso, etc?

I have seen the W&B sheet and I didn't see a max gross weight. I understand what Van's states and what builders do (and why). This plane seems light (1048 empty wt) and i'd like to know what the builder specified for the gross weight. Would that number exist somewhere other than the POH?
 
Gross weight should be on the WB. Operating Limitations and/or log books should have the V speeds.
 
Weight not always on the data plate

It's on the aircraft's data plate.

I'm working my Aircraft Identification Plate ("data plate") right now; an aircraft may have the weight, date of manufacture, address of manufacturer on the plate, but all that's required is:

Serial Number (not the N number)
Manufacturer Name
Model

You can find some value for weight (presumably accurate at some point) on some data plates... but I'd look to the weight & balance for a more up to date number.
 
If its not a plane that I built, one of the very first few things I would do (and probably before I flew it) would be a new weight and balance just to make sure. Then you'll have some good data on which to build your POH.

There are many examples of POH's here if you search the threads. Like many, mine is mostly a copy of other peoples, with the primary differences being that the numbers in it represent my plane.
 
FWIW, I have a copy of the W&B and the max gross weight is not there. I can't read the photo of the data plate but as long as it is at least equal to what Van's lists, I'm happy with it. Redoing the W&B probably isn't a bad idea.
 
I may not recall this correctly, but I think the weight specified in the logbook entry that takes the aircraft out of Phase I and documents compliance with 91319(b) becomes the gross weight of the aircraft.

I also may not recall this correctly, but the weight need not be on the data plate.

Dan
 
The weight & balance documents required to be in the airplane should state; empty weight, gross weight, max forward C/G limit and max aft C/G limit.

The only required information on the data plate is Make, Model, and Serial Number.