ccsmith51
Well Known Member
I am going to reweigh my plane on Wednesday. I was telling a fellow RV owner, and another fellow that is an A&P, that I was going to go through the trouble of draining fuel from the tanks so that I could get an empty weight W&B.
The RV guy says why? He says that draining is a PITA and he just fills the tanks, then reduces the total weight buy the fuel weight, and the total moment arm by the fuel moment, to get the empty weight and moment.
I said that kinda makes sense, but then he would not know the empty weight on each wheel. He said so what. What is important is to know what the empty weight is and the empty weight moment arm. He says that knowing the weight on each wheel is unimportant.
As an example, he asked me right then what the weights were on each wheel. I said I didn't know since I didn't know the exact weight in each fuel tank. My A&P buddy says "What is on each wheel if you are the pilot and your friend is the passenger?" I said I have no idea.
But, they said, I could calculate whether the CG was in range, without knowing what was on each wheel...
I guess it all makes sense, but since I have always weighed without fuel and gotten the empty weight on each wheel, it just seems wrong.
What say the VAF brotherhood? Is there a downside to not knowing the empty weight on each wheel?
It sure is a heck of a lot easier to put gas in the tanks than to drain it out....
The RV guy says why? He says that draining is a PITA and he just fills the tanks, then reduces the total weight buy the fuel weight, and the total moment arm by the fuel moment, to get the empty weight and moment.
I said that kinda makes sense, but then he would not know the empty weight on each wheel. He said so what. What is important is to know what the empty weight is and the empty weight moment arm. He says that knowing the weight on each wheel is unimportant.
As an example, he asked me right then what the weights were on each wheel. I said I didn't know since I didn't know the exact weight in each fuel tank. My A&P buddy says "What is on each wheel if you are the pilot and your friend is the passenger?" I said I have no idea.
But, they said, I could calculate whether the CG was in range, without knowing what was on each wheel...
I guess it all makes sense, but since I have always weighed without fuel and gotten the empty weight on each wheel, it just seems wrong.
What say the VAF brotherhood? Is there a downside to not knowing the empty weight on each wheel?
It sure is a heck of a lot easier to put gas in the tanks than to drain it out....