BastON, is that the WX `Mk1` HUD/Gunsight or a reflection on the windscreen ?
NURSE, as O-D says,it was a time when one had to know your power limits,and the best techniques for landing and t/o,in the tropical climate,from sea level to 5-6000 ft LZs.On our WWs we only had fuel-flow as a measure of power(plus crpm,and ptit );we were also limited to a max AUW of 7800lbs,whereas civilian WW Seies 3 ,were cleared to 8000lbs.
And yes,we had bathroom scales,which were used to make a `standard weight`list,or if something different came along we would weigh it.For instance,105 MM field gun shells+charges came in a big wooden box,weighing some ,say 200 lbs, but about 40 lbs was the box wt. That was wasted weight,so we would just carry the shell+charges in their tubes, saved weight,carry more shells,easier to load/unload,everyone happy,and no back-loading of empty boxes..
To reduce the weight of the aircraft we also took out the seats,leaving the belts,HFradio,windows ,door on occasion,ran with minimum fuel,and if a large troop movement was required ,we would get them to go in light fighting order,where they had only about 2-3 days rations,leaving bergens behind,getting more troops on the ground,and once they were secure,we would ferry in the kit.It meant you could probably carry an extra 2-3 troops at a time,and they were much more mobile/flexible....Syc..