"Otis Winslow" wrote in message
.. .

As for trying to come up with an accurate one, that's often an effort in
futility. Having
been faced with multiple revisions, seemingly carefully updated several
times, I've
opted to just weigh the plane. And it's always been off significantly from
the brought
foreward updates. Plus it's probably cheaper than spending several hours
trying
to figure it out.

Make sure that the weigh station uses the correct procedure. I spent
several hours trying to reconcile a 60lb difference between equipment
added since new & an 'official' weigh in 1995. (I've a 1966 182).

Turns out that the official "Cessna" way is to drain all the fuel. The
weigh station weighed it when full of fuel & subtracted the difference
mathematically. The fuel tanks contain more than advertised, as
I later verified when complying with a fuel tank SB which required
me to drain all the fuel. So I'm being cheated out of 60lbs in legal
payload by my current W&B sheet. One day I'll fix it.

The 'weigh' was before I owned the plane.