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Old 26th Jun 2004, 08:27
  #11 (permalink)  
Whirlybird

The Original Whirly
 
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
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The more I read this the more it worries me...

You say "a bit of baggage". Have you actually weighed what you're going to take? You AND the other three people? Have you honestly weighed yourselves, fully clothed?

I flew with a co-pilot in the Highlands in a C152 last summer, and with the same person in Europe last month. We took nothing but flying essentials and one change of clothes, and we were still on the limit with regards to weight. You'll have four headsets, charts, flight guides, flight planning equipment to start with. I can get my personal items down to 5-6lbs; can you and the other three do the same? Even so...

4 x headsets - about 6lbs (estimated)
4 x empty bags/ cases - 6lbs minimum
Flight guides, charts etc - about 5lbs
4 x change of clothes/toothbrushes - 24lbs
cameras, mobile phones, chargers for them, and other bits you've forgotten about - 12lbs

Minimal luggage is 53lbs!!! And with four people I'd be surprised if you could take that little, actually.

Prove me wrong if you like, but so close to limits you MUST weigh EVERYTHING, and you MUST make sure you have enough fuel to divert in bad weather - and that includes sudden bad weather when you least expect it. And don't forget, if the weather gets hot, that degrades performance too.

I'm not trying to put you off. But I've toured quite a lot at max aircraft weight, and it's scary how an aircraft with excellent performance suddenly changes if you're hot or high or at the weight limit.
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