Mixed fleet weight units

[SU-GCM]

A new aircraft recently joined our fleet and its in LBS while all other aircraft are in KGs which is what everyone is used to.

what is the best way to avoid confusion as I feel this is a major safety risk and may lead to a serious incident or even an accident

any specific tips or tricks for dealing with this situation ?

[oceancrosser]

Originally Posted by SU-GCM

A new aircraft recently joined our fleet and its in LBS while all other aircraft are in KGs which is what everyone is used to.

what is the best way to avoid confusion as I feel this is a major safety risk and may lead to a serious incident or even an accident

any specific tips or tricks for dealing with this situation ?

Convert the airplane to KGS? It’s been done to a fair number of planes where I work.
Way back we had one type that was all operated in lbs. Easier that way.
But a single oddball will be risky.

[SU-GCM]

Originally Posted by oceancrosser

Convert the airplane to KGS? It’s been done to a fair number of planes where I work.
Way back we had one type that was all operated in lbs. Easier that way.
But a single oddball will be risky.

it’s leased not owned and I believe it will be too expensive to convert to KGs

looking for tips to deal with the situation as is

[john_tullamarine]

If systems are in lbs (eg fuel), there would be a cost to consider. but that should be the only significant system concern, I would have thought ? If it is a case that the aircraft systems are in kg but the loading system is in lbs, it is a trivial exercise (ie comparatively minimal cost) to change the loading system to metric.

An orphan aircraft is asking for a human factors foul up somewhere along the way, I suggest.

[SU-GCM]

Originally Posted by john_tullamarine

If systems are in lbs (eg fuel), there would be a cost to consider. but that should be the only significant system concern, I would have thought ? If it is a case that the aircraft systems are in kg but the loading system is in lbs, it is a trivial exercise (ie comparatively minimal cost) to change the loading system to metric.

unfortunately its all in LBS

[john_tullamarine]

OK, but the concern is with loading so to change the fuel indications to metric should not be overly expensive I wouldn't have thought ? What other concerns do you see as being a problem ?

[SU-GCM]

Originally Posted by john_tullamarine

OK, but the concern is with loading so to change the fuel indications to metric should not be overly expensive I wouldn't have thought ? What other concerns do you see as being a problem ?

concern starts with flight and fuel planning from dispatch side , figures sound strange to anyone used to KGs, cross checking numbers against KG is time consuming

[john_tullamarine]

I understand that. The preferred arrangement is to have everything in consistent units.

However, provided the crew cockpit indications are metric, then the whole process can be figured in metric. This would leave the only area for likely error to be the physical fuel loading (presuming at tank indications are imperial). Providing the crew indicators are metric, then the crew fuel quantity crosschecks provide a final error trap. Not ideal, but I would have thought workable.

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may also have CofA or AOC requirements which would preclude my suggestion.