Small aircraft weight & COG system

It is used by Boeing on their big tin birds.

 

It would be interesting, but as a Private Pilot I can easily make my weight & balance calculation and would not be willing spend very much money for a system that would at most verify my calculation and if not make me suspect it was out of calibration or something like that. I'd rather spend that kind of money on an angle of attack indicator.

 

And how much would this system weigh (both the measurement and display parts)?
If it was more than 10 pounds, it probably wouldn't be a very popular option (payloads are very limited on small planes).

 

Another factor to consider in the cost/value tradeoff, is that you might have to get it certified by the FAA since pilot/owners would be relying on it for a go/no-go decision.

 

True.

And it is real fast to do if you set up a simple spreadsheet for your specific airplane.
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It's not worth the trouble. It wouldn't weigh but a few pounds, if that, but any pilot (at least any that passed the FAA private exam) can calculate the weight and balance in a few minutes. At most you could keep a scale in the hangar to let you know where you were, but come on, it's really easy and it's not a real issue.

The real problem is pilots not bothering to calculate weight and balance, or probably just as often, ignoring the fact that they are overweight in the first place, when they know darn well that is where they are.

 

Most airplanes listed weight is usually wrong. Trying weighing your plane and see just how far off the weigh is from what your records show. We forget the tools, the miscellaneous items in the cockpit, and we don't adjust the weigh for paint touch up, etc. I put a glass cockkpit in my plane. Should have reduced the empty weigh. Didn't, weight went up by 100 pounds. Something had gotten missed over the years.

Art

 

Also would deal with the passengers fabricating their weight...

Happened in a chopper crash not too long ago. A number of people gave their weights as 120-125; in reality they were all 150 or more.

Crash; all died.

Should pilots weigh their pax? This would do it.

 

reminds me of the time I watched a pilot unload the contents of a fully packed station wagon into a Bonanza, had the fuel topped off, and four of them climb into the plane...as they taxied away the nose wheel would bounce clear of the ground as they crossed some irregularities in the tarmac... a strain gauge would offer little except to sound an annoying alarm for a bad cg... this guy was going regardless of the weight and balance...

 

I was in a caravan and everyone had to step on a scale at the terminal before we wen't onto the tarmac. They sat the heavy Hawaiians towards the front.
They also had a bathroom scale in the baggage compartment.

 

Don't forget your air density factor.

 

As Rob mentioned, weight and balance must be REALISTICALLY calculated before loading. It doesn't take a computer driven calculator to accomplish on a small airplane. Plain ol' people have been doing it for a long time with plugging in total weight of payload, placement of the weight, fuel load, density-altitude, and good sense. Of course, I never paid any attention to that when I was flying a puddle jumper.

 

Also, if you take the same combination of people with you on certain trips, then you can re-use a previous calculation (assuming the weights haven't changed much and your well within the limits).

An example of this is when you take lessons with a specific instructor and you typically fill up the tanks to the bottom of the tabs. So, you know you're within the limits since nothing much has changed since your previous w&b calculation for the same passengers.

But, if you take an extra adult in the back seat one day with your instructor, then that's when it is important to run the calculations.

The density altitude performance calculations are a different thing altogether though.
Once again, this can be done quickly and easily by building your own spreadsheet for your plane.
Normally it is things like flying on a hot day, or to a higher elevation field, or to a shorter-than-normal runway that triggers one to run these calculations.
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Could you explain, please? Talking about a Corvalis?

Sorry for my ignorance.

 

I think the biggest hurdle would be getting it certified.

There would be very little interest from the airframe manufacturers to invest in such a product, as they are never held accountable for the accident after a pilot over loads his plane and stuffs it in.

As has been mentioned, I have a spread sheet on my laptop, and two apps on my
I-phone, all of the 172's (all 3 of them ) I currently fly have different empty/full weights but a few clicks set the base settings and I fill in the rest...If I don't do the calculations its my fault.

My school had me do a W/B before every flight after I had checked the tanks, of course I was always well with in the limits, but it was taught to me like it was part of the preflight