Gross Weight

"Michael" wrote in message
oups.com...
I know that when I was receiving training, my instructor
once had me bring 2 male adults with me to a lesson.

He then had you project performance and handling characteristics by
extrapolating from the POH and maybe other sources. In flight, he
discussed these issues with you so you would know how to handle the
situation in the future, pointing out quirks of the operation. No? He
just told you to get in and go?

I wish that were the exception, but it's the rule. He was teaching you
how to fly overgross, and he was doing about the worst possible job of
it. Yeah - you did it in that particular instance. You learned a
little - mainly, you learned that operating outside the published
envelope has consequences, and a bit about what they can be. But
without an underlying framework for understanding, all you learned is
what happens in that one specific case. Since that specific case is
unlikely to be repeated exactly, you haven't really learned anything
very useful.

So the answer to your question of how much is too much? When the
safety margin associated with the limiting factor in play under the
circumstances becomes uncomfortably slim, that's too much.

Michael


Very nice post, and I enjoyed reading it. I especially like your view on
what my instructor did, and you make a very good point. I have admitted to
myself, that he did some things in my training that, although we got away
with, were wrong, and I remember those each time I fly. You make a very
good point with regard to teaching without the proper framework. I will
also remember that. Thank you for you comments.

Fred