Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

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AlanR
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Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by AlanR » Fri Jun 05, 2020 9:18 pm

I have asked this question in a formal email to the LAA but so far after two weeks have had no reply so thought I would ask the question on here to seen what others are doing with this regard renewing their aircraft permit.
How can a Permit flight test be carried out in compliance with the aircraft being at Max weight for the check flight in the light of current Covid-19 GA regulations?
Fine if you have a house family member/s who can accompany you to make up the weight but what about if this is not possible due to living alone..Strapping sandbags in to make up weight would be a bit dangerous I feel.
Thoughts please....
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mikehallam
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Re: Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by mikehallam » Fri Jun 05, 2020 9:41 pm

Well Alan,
Partly as l mostly am alone, I've been doing the flight test solo with ballast strapped on the pax seat which with baggage, me and full tanks can get my 'plane over 90% MAUW.
No fuss and no bodily involvement of another soul. Seems to me a far more preferable and lower risk method.
mike hallam. (Just about to do one this coming week, easy peasy !).

AlanR
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Re: Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by AlanR » Sat Jun 06, 2020 9:04 am

Thanks for the reply Mike but even with full tanks I am 90kg short of max weight.
Securing ballast to make up that amount of weight to carry out a flight test and a VNE dive to 155knots which I need to do would make me very uncomfortable.

The flight test is no longer needed for an EASA aircraft at all so surely an exemption to carrying out a flight test for all LAA Permit renewals this year due to Covid flight restrictions is a reasonable thing and ask to be put in place?

Sorry about the spelling in the subject title but I can't see how to now change it!
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Chris Thompson
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Re: Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by Chris Thompson » Sat Jun 06, 2020 9:19 am

It is not uncommon to have to ballast an aircraft for a permit test flight. You have to get to 90% of the MAUW. I use a large ruck sack with an appropriate number of of bricks and strap it in securely with the seat belts. I also sometimes use breeze blocks if a large weight is required. If the seat belts are not sufficient for the shape then a couple more luggage straps do the job. This problem does not only apply to small aircraft. For example, some PA28's, full fuel, and no baggage can be just out of forward CoG (not many people do this calculation)! You need ballast in the back (not a lot!) to be in the envelope. I'm not sure why you would feel uncomfortable with 90Kg on the passenger seat, after all you would probably happily take a passenger of this weight provided the whole aircraft was in CoG. If it was not then something is wrong somewhere to be able to operate at MAUW anyway! However, correct me if I am wrong but I think that LAA Engineering will consider some allowance to the 90% weight for a Permit renewal during COVID restrictions. Check with them!
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mikehallam
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Re: Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by mikehallam » Sat Jun 06, 2020 9:23 am

If LAA they accept 90%.
If plane weight is say 1000 lb it lets you test at 900 lb.

l strap ballast onto the pax seat securely and the normal belts take any restraining force just like live meat ballast. The usual is a 25 litre plastic Jerry of water plus me. But l agree fully kitted as P1 l am 198 lb. which helps.
My Rans is 1100 lb. but by this method can get up to 990: so as the rules are not going to change you'll may be have to wear lead weights like a diver as well !

Double post same sort of advice !

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Alan Kilbride
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Re: Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by Alan Kilbride » Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:50 pm

I conducted a permit test flight last Sunday and stated on the form that the mauw couldn't be achieved due to covid 19 restrictions. We did as much as we could to get there, without ballasting the passenger seat. I was concerned about securing weight. I know of one incident which caused severe grievance.
I assume the LAA took this into account and e mailed the permit to the owner within the week.
Our engineers can be very pragmatic in these troubled times.

Alan
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AlanR
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Re: Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by AlanR » Sun Jun 07, 2020 4:28 pm

That is good information to hear Alan.
Good to know the LAA are being pragmatic in the current Covid restrictions and not insisting on MAUW for the flight test.
Just a bit dissapointing though that they cannot reply to my email of two weeks telling me that!
Like you I would not be happy fitting 90kg of ballast to my aircraft when carrying out VNE dives etc. It is just too much unnecessary risk.

Alan.
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tnowak
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Re: Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by tnowak » Mon Jun 08, 2020 9:10 am

I potentially had the same issue a few weeks ago, so e-mailed LAA Engineering about this.

Their reply was they would allow the permit renewal test flight paperwork to be submitted without the MAUW climb test "for now".

Tony
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Clive
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Re: Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by Clive » Wed Jun 10, 2020 12:39 pm

When I was struggling to get the weight up I used socket sets and tool rolls, they are heavy but not so bulky so can be strapped into foot wells as well to get close to the seat but not on it.
Maybe something to bear in mind.
Regards, Clive
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Blade
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Re: Ciovid -19 and Permit Revalidation Check Flight

Post by Blade » Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:06 pm

in my previous life I was a check pilot for the BMAA, them days you were not allowed to carry passengers to do the check flight, I had a purposely made balas bag which I could add or remove lead weights to gain the required weight, mind you I was fit them days and able to lift the ballast bag in and out of the aircraft. More often and not it was a two man job,
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