Reminds me of my skills test in a C152 many moons ago, I'm 6'3" and fairly well built and my examiner was considerably larger.....pre flight discussion went something like this:-

Eaxminer: Have you done a W&B for our flight?
Me: Yes
Examiner: And what does it say?
Me: We are XXKg over weight and out of the forward CG limit.
Examiner: Thats fine, as long as your aware of it, lets go!


Flew fine if a little lethargic in the climb but then when is a C152 not?

This is the bit that does get bandied around (not having a pop at you Pace, I've just heard this a lot). I have in front of me the weight schedule for our 152.

Aircraft basic weight 1080.3 lbs

Full tanks fuel weight 152 lbs

MTOW 1670 lb

Which leaves 437.7 lbs cockpit/baggage payload. Enough for two 200 lb guys and a couple of overnight bags. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

There are 3 152s where I fly. The lightest has an empty weight of 1213lbs.

There is not a C 152 in the world that has an empty weight of 1080 lbs. The 5 C 152 that my club runs have empty weights that range from 1151 lbs to 1210 lbs.

Most instructor/student combination will not allow full standard (22 gal) tanks let alone baggage. But the bottom line is any instructor that does a flight with the aircraft over gross is going to get fired.

Any student that flies at a school where the aircraft are being operated above MGTOW is stupid !

... and you were both satisfied with the handling characteristics in that configuration....

It's okay, I once wrote a multiple choice Transport Canada exam, where the correct answer was that you were flying out of limits. I got that question wrong, when I marked the answer saying that I stayed in limits the whole flight ('cause I did not burn fuel). I pointed this error out, and TC agreed that the exam should be changed.

Obviously the weight schedule is wrong then, thanks for pointing that out, we'll send it back for a re weighing.

Thing

It some time since I flew a 150 series and I stress the word series Cessna.
We are not just talking about a 152!

I used to fly a 65hp 150, a 152 aerobat and a weird and wonderful 130 hp 150.

This was 27 years ago and had a 150 revisited flight which I thoroughly enjoyed.

All I remember is that with two well fed pilots on board and a full tank of fuel they were overweight but on busy days the instructors jumped in and went regardless

Pace

I hope it got the engine maintenance that it obviously desperately needed to return the missing 35HP!

The empty weight in the POH, you know the official Cessna handbook that the people at Cessna wrote is 1101 lbs. Ours has had some avionic changes that have reduced the weight to 1080.3 lbs. I've even taken some photos of the relevant pages/documents but I've a feeling even putting those up will make no difference.

At that documented empty weight, for god's sake don't re-weigh it.
Bryan

I assume you are talking about the "sample" weight in the weight and balance calculation example in section 6 of the POH.

You actually can get a plane that light if you don't specify any "optional" equipment like gyro's, a radio, lights etc etc . The factory delivered weight for any particular aircraft will be that weight plus options which means they all weigh more. Ordering every available option will add over 120 lbs to the the aircraft.

I say again there is no way a flying school C 152 actually weighs only 1080 lbs. If that is what your weight and balance report says then it is wrong.

As others have already said, it's fine (if not ideal) for long touring trips. Go for it - the irish Sea is nothing! :D

Must respond to tis, though:

That's overly pessimistic.

See here (Equipped to Survive: Ditching Myths)

Have a look at G-AWAW RESTORATION this aircraft flew from Denham to Darwin flown by Janette Schönburg in 1980, an epic journey with a superb pilot.

No I'm talking about the weight that is in the frontspiece, the performance data page.

Thing

The front page of the Cessna POH only has space to record the serial number and the registration of the aircraft. This is important because the official POH is serial number specific.

Unless there is some weird UK only rule, there will never be an official empty weight record in the POH. Lots of people will make a note of the empty weight in the POH but the only official record will be in the aircraft documents as noted in the weight and balance report.

BTW I rechecked the Cessna POH "sample" weight as I provided the 110 lb figure from memory. Cessna gives an example weight of 1238 lbs. This is 58 lbs heavier than your airplane and I have never seen a C 152 with a 1238lb empty weight. The lowest empty I have seen was 1151 lbs.

So here is the deal either

1) You have a "special" C 152 that is magically 70 to 125 lbs lighter than every other C 152 in existence, or

2) The empty weight figure you are using is wrong.

Can only tell you what is in the POH and weight schedule. Can't see the weight schedule being wrong, it's from a highly respected and well established eng facility that we use all the time. I have flown it, and do so quite often at MTOW using our own figures and it flies perfectly well, performing to book figures. According to your (and everyone elses opinion) it would seem I'm flying it around 150 lbs overweight. Something's not adding up if you would excuse the pun.

Typical UK flying club practice. If you beg, you are given the "POH". But it is the generic manual, it has been carefully made non-specific.

I recall the first 4 seaters I rented. Did the weight and balance, took my passengers flying and then another member said you did use the weighing certificate rather than the example? Of course no one in the flying club had mentioned that the generic POH bore very little resemblance to the aircraft I was actually flying....... Of course the weight certificate was in the maintenance folder - and not made available to any members (apart from those in the 'know').

Older, wiser and much, much less innocent, I have an aircraft with an exceptional C of G envelope - having owned a couple where there were quite a few limitations.

But my experience in the non-weight limited C152 has stood me in good stead!

Just recently done my solo cross country in a 152. The longest leg was from EGSF to EGBJ, about 80nm - aprox 75kt ground speed due to headwind.

Exhausting for a low hour chap like me. Bum definitely fell asleep.

We always use the weight schedule weight for all of our a/c w/b calcs. It's a military club, no gash practises. Our CFI (ex CFS instructor) is a bit keen on stuff like that.

By the way Ampage, congrats on the XC! :D:D:D

Get a grip thing! If you are looking at the original Cessna weight schedule, as you claim, it should be written on parchment!

ALL AIRCRAFT GAIN WEIGHT OVER THE YEARS - THEY DO NOT LOOSE IT!

Are you part of the 'best of the best'? Without knowing what 'best' is?

There is a compelling reason for microlights to be re-weighed every 5 years. If you are flying an aircraft with a 20 plus year old weight certificate it is a work of nothing more than historic interest.