"Blanche" wrote in message
...
I'm still waiting to reach my limit on W&B with only 2 people and
gear in the cherokee 180. And I don't pack light...

The real question isn't so much the weight limit (though in some cases that
might be relevant). It's that every pound added to the airplane costs you
in cruise speed, and thus in everything tied to cruise speed (fuel costs,
maintenance expenses, etc.).

IMHO, you'd have to be pretty stingy for that cost to not be justified if
you get a week's comfort out of it (especially when you consider that a
well-rested pilot is a safer pilot). But it is true that there's a
measurable cost. (I haven't done the particular calculation, but it
probably amounts to a fraction of a percent increase in expense, even after
you add in every possible related cost you can possibly think of).

Pete