DJohnsen
Thank you for your comments which, bearing in mind your published qualifications, are worthy of note.
Setting aside the aircraft issues for a moment, it still does not resolve the issue of passenger weights and no one will convince me that passenger weights are generally less than those calculated by the flight crew. The load sheet states the mix of passengers - M/F/C/I. How many people did you see on your last flight as a passenger who were over the limits of Male - 85kg, Female - 70kg, Children under 14 years - 35kg?
Aircraft are often loaded close to MTOM and a significant increase in actual passenger weight would make the aircraft overweight. Not legally, but practically. Irrespective of whether this is unsafe or not, it is eroding safety margins and detracting from flight safety.
My partner, her daughter and myself on a recent flight to Spain, although not excessively overweight overall, I calculate, with hand baggage, we were 50kg over the standard allowance. Multiply that by the 150 or so passengers, most of whom appeared heavier than ourselves, then the additional weight could have been in the order of 2,500kg.
You may say that the figure is exaggerated, but ask yourself how many of you weigh LESS than 12 stone, 9 stone and 5 stone for men, women and children respectively. Or with clothes, clutter, hand bags and hand luggage less than 85kg, 70kg and 15kg - the standard weights?
One website in the USA states the average weight of an adult male is 189.8 lbs = 13.55 stone = 86 kg. Add to that the weight of clothing and hand baggage and the average weight is some 10 kg greater than the 'standard weight'. If women the same applied to women and children, then with everyone being 10kg overweight, a typical flight with 150 passengers could be 1,500kg over-weight. Not as much as my estimate, but still on the wrong side.
This does not take into account the demographics of the populations travelling - no substantitation whatsoever, but it is the more affluent populations who travel by air. It may be that the average weight of an 'air-traveller' is higher than that of the general population (well-fed, relatively 'fat cats'). Who knows. But it would make an interesting thesis for a PhD in Air Transport Management!!!
A large number of people would regard these comments as scare-mongering - but it's worth considering as no one knows how much an aircraft weighs, absolutely, at any stage of flight.
fireflybob:
Interesting comment. I wonder if anyone else has actual data to refer to in this manner?