Originally Posted by
ThreeThreeMike
....The additional weight required higher V speeds and would have exacerbated controllability issues
.....
gave some insight, but it just seems counterintuitive that an aircraft operating with degraded performance would be required have an additional 30,000 lbs of fuel on board.
Higher speeds, yes, but the extra weight would have likely improved not degraded the controllability - if it was being carried to meet a min flight weight driven by VMCA, for example, it would end up being easier to fly with an engine out, which is what they were doing.
If they were having to add ballast fuel, they were nowhere near a performance limit in terms of heavy weight; they'd still have had to meet appropriate climb and takeoff distance etc.
Also, an excessively light a/c might have "too much" performance, in the sense of requiring excessive or unusual pitch attitudes to maintain the scheduled speeds. Going outside of the weight/cg envelope in ANY direction - heavier, lighter, more aft or more forward - all have their problems. The a/c was certified to be inside that envelope, so anything that keeps you inside the envelope is good.