Overweight Rans.

Dave T · Post by **Dave T** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:17 pm

Hello, can any member please help me? I am the NOT so proud owner of a 912 Rans that seems to have put on weight (without me adding anything to it) since it was first weighed after being built in 2004. The original weight is some 17kg less than it is now (284kg empty) This, I disscovered as the permit needed renewing and reweighing was due as it is now 5 years old. Do any other 912 Rans owners have this same problem. If so please advise me how the got round it. There is nothing I can remove to reduce the weight by 17kg and still have a flyable aircraft. Many thanks, Dave T.

Simon Clifton · Post by **Simon Clifton** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:59 pm

Not that it will help at all, but I would suggest it was significantly underweighed before.

Putting in a Red Top battery will save 1/2 Kg.

Hoovering out the fuselage and wings might save 50g....

How much do other 912 Rans typically weigh?

S
~

Rod1 · Post by **Rod1** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:36 pm

Did you weigh the aircraft yourself? If not, hire some scales and do it your self. Some commercial operations are not very good. I got mine done professionally and the c of g was 2.5” out as they got the fuel wrong. This could have killed me as I flew the aircraft for a year before I redid it.

Rod1

Bill McCarthy · Post by **Bill McCarthy** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:55 pm

This aircraft could have been weighed originally without having the other wheels lifted to the same height as the measuring apparatus, thus allowing more weight to transfer over to the opposite side. Get your weighing gear calibrated before you restart the process. I'm taking it that you took out all fuel and that the aircraft was not wet.

mike hurn · Post by **mike hurn** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:37 pm

Dave have a look at this link http://www.bmaa.org/forums/default.aspx ... 4&f=15&p=1
apprently it can be weighed with doors off which can weigh 3+ kilos each remove spats /radio/intercom/strobes etc if it has them

Mike

mikehallam · Post by **mikehallam** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 1:41 pm

Mine weighs.

"Weight & Balance 13 Jan 2006 by Loadmasters at Chilbolton. Empty 570 lb. [258 Kg.] Max.allowable t/o wt.1100 lb. C of G limits 63 to 68 inches aft of front face of prop. flange"

Note:- Big battery back in the fus. & 912 80 h.p engine.

Mike Hallam.

J.C. · Post by **J.C.** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 2:41 pm

Yes you CAN weigh it without all those parts but as soon as you put them back on its illegal innit?

mike hurn · Post by **mike hurn** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 4:35 pm

Jc wrote Yes you CAN weigh it without all those parts but as soon as you put them back on its illegal innit?

Yes but working on that principle nearly every new type permit plane " IS" illegal

but we dont wnt to get into that discusion do we

Mike

rans6andrew · Post by **rans6andrew** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 5:43 pm

when I first weighed my Rans S6 micro, just after purchase and as the 5 year weighing rule came in it had to shed a few Kgs.

I removed; doors, cushions, sun visors, pen holders, luggage rack, fire extinguisher and bracket, electric fuel pump, some fuel pipework, battery and battery box, landing light, some redundant wiring, a Skymap I "brick" GPS, leg fairings, wing root seals, spinner, P2 joystick (has a mod to allow it to be unplugged) and the inner tubes from the tyres.

Boy, did that increase the climb rate! A secondary benefit was that it cured the vapour lock problems caused by the fuel pipes being too close to the exhaust system.

The only other thing I could have removed, if I had noticed at the time, was the P2 toe brake levers.

As an observation, when I weighed the aircraft in the evening, just as the dew was forming, it was 6Kg heavier than the following morning when it was dry and sunny. Same air temperature, same scales, lower humidity day.

Andrew Cattell?

Tony Harrison-Smith · Post by **Tony Harrison-Smith** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 7:54 am

JC, No it is not illegal when you put them back on as these are all extras that are not needed to fly the aircraft. You just have to take the extra weight into consideration when working out the total possible fuel load to stay under the max all up weight.

On microlights this is something we have to calculate with every trip. If you fly solo, it is not a problem, if you fly dual, you usually cannot fill the tanks to the brim.

Nick Allen · Post by **Nick Allen** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 8:53 am

You just have to take the extra weight into consideration when working out the total possible fuel load to stay under the max all up weight.

I thought the procedure was called weight and balance....

merlin · Post by **merlin** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 10:34 am

Only weight for micros. Balance bit is part of permit weighing paperwork and as long as maxima are not exceeded all is OK.

Ian Melville · Post by **Ian Melville** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:57 am

Nick Allen · Post by **Nick Allen** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:10 am

Balance bit is part of permit weighing paperwork and as long as maxima are not exceeded all is OK.

But unless you record from where you are removing items relative to the CoG, and calculate the moments, how will you know if you are exceeding the maxima?

Tony Harrison-Smith · Post by **Tony Harrison-Smith** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:24 am

With the system used with microlights, if the extra weight is in the cockpit area or any baggage area, it must always be within the balance limits provided the aircraft is not overloaded beyond it's 450 kg or any baggage compartment placarded limits. It would not get it's permit to fly otherwise.

This is one of the good design aspects of microlight design that takes out any guess work and the need to do the C of G calcs that GA pilots always do before every flight.

All you need to know is the total weight of the aircraft, passenger and fuel and provided it is below 450kg you are OK for W & B