On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 11:17:21 -0500, "Gig 601XL Builder"
wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote:

If you made a belly pod that provided some lift could you not increase the
MGW of the aircraft?

I think of this because at lease some of the pontoons on the market "carry
thier own weight" so to speak and don't subtract from the aircrafts useful
load.

I've always wondered about that. Seems to me that works fine in the
air (although any additional flat plate area will of course affect
overall drag), but what about landing?

Also, in order for the pod to not contribute to the gross weight of
the airplane, wouldn't it have to be able to produce it's lift at the
time of takeoff? And if it's doing that, will it add a lot of drag at
cruise?

Corky Scott