Should I be scared -- C172 over Gross

tman wrote:

Wow thanks for all the help guys. I showed this post and thread to the
two potential pax.

Anyways, I think my weight problem is solved.


You know. Sorry guys. I thought my sarcasm was obvious . I didn't
show the thread to anyone!

Did this flight, and here's the story;

I did the calcs and started out over gross by about 30 lbs. That's with
a C172 filled to the tabs -- leaving exactly 1 hour of reserve, which is
less than I've ever flown with _by plan_ before anyways. 1 hour
doesn't scare me from the standpoint of not being enough, but I didn't
feel I knew the fuel burn quite accurately enough to get down much past
1 hour on paper. That's worry #1.

As I got more concerned in my questioning, I kept getting "more accurate
estimates" of the pax weights as the days rolled by, and luggage got
"heavier" too, and I was up to 100 lbs over gross, then said enough.
Guess the concern in my voice, "yeah, I do need to know pretty close",
made 'em step on the scale, quit fibbing, or both. That was it. Just
one pax, not both, was my directive.

Well, it turned out that this 5000' runway is circa 1500 feet MSL.
Forgot to check that bit -- just assumed close to MSL till the day of
the trip, and also the day turned out to be +20F hotter than I thought
it would. I've experienced that heat not only hurts the planes
performance, but the pilots too. Oh yeah, a slightly gusty xwind too.
Pretty happy I planned on leaving one pax behind.

With all those factors, and a more conservative fuel load, I was est 50
below gross. Well, I'll never forget leaving that 5000' runway that day
and staring at that mutha****in hill in front of me wondering if I was
going to clear it. The plane was a dog in those conditions, and it did
not appear I was going to clear it -- maybe I would have, a lot of this
was mental _in retrospect_. Had to fight every reflex to keep from
pulling back and further back on that yoke. Watch the airspeed, easy
does it. On the spot I concocted -- First, plan A to veer to the left
just a bit to avoid the terrain, and a plan B to drop 10 flaps and go
for Vx. Plan A did the trick. I probably would have cleared the
terrain just fine. Could I have made it 100lbs over gross? Almost
certainly. I would have done a short-field takeoff and best angle
climb, etc. Do I need that kind of risk and worry in my life? Heck no.
Well, another lesson learned.....

"tman" inv@lid wrote in message news
.......
As I got more concerned in my questioning, I kept getting "more accurate
estimates" of the pax weights as the days rolled by, and luggage got
"heavier" too, and I was up to 100 lbs over gross, then said enough.
Guess the concern in my voice, "yeah, I do need to know pretty close",
made 'em step on the scale, quit fibbing, or both. That was it. Just
one pax, not both, was my directive.

Well, it turned out that this 5000' runway is circa 1500 feet MSL.
Forgot to check that bit -- just assumed close to MSL till the day of
the trip, and also the day turned out to be +20F hotter than I thought
it would. I've experienced that heat not only hurts the planes
performance, but the pilots too. Oh yeah, a slightly gusty xwind too.
Pretty happy I planned on leaving one pax behind.

With all those factors, and a more conservative fuel load, I was est 50
below gross. Well, I'll never forget leaving that 5000' runway that day
and staring at that mutha****in hill in front of me wondering if I was
going to clear it. The plane was a dog in those conditions, and it did
not appear I was going to clear it -- maybe I would have, a lot of this
was mental _in retrospect_. Had to fight every reflex to keep from
pulling back and further back on that yoke. Watch the airspeed, easy
does it. On the spot I concocted -- First, plan A to veer to the left
just a bit to avoid the terrain, and a plan B to drop 10 flaps and go
for Vx. Plan A did the trick. I probably would have cleared the
terrain just fine. Could I have made it 100lbs over gross? Almost
certainly. I would have done a short-field takeoff and best angle
climb, etc. Do I need that kind of risk and worry in my life? Heck no.
Well, another lesson learned.....



Since you had had an obstacle, you should have climbed at Vx until it was clear...

tman wrote:
tman wrote:

With all those factors, and a more conservative fuel load, I was est 50
below gross. Well, I'll never forget leaving that 5000' runway that day
and staring at that mutha****in hill in front of me wondering if I was
going to clear it. The plane was a dog in those conditions, and it did
not appear I was going to clear it -- maybe I would have, a lot of this
was mental _in retrospect_. Had to fight every reflex to keep from
pulling back and further back on that yoke. Watch the airspeed, easy
does it. On the spot I concocted -- First, plan A to veer to the left
just a bit to avoid the terrain, and a plan B to drop 10 flaps and go
for Vx. Plan A did the trick. I probably would have cleared the
terrain just fine. Could I have made it 100lbs over gross? Almost
certainly. I would have done a short-field takeoff and best angle
climb, etc. Do I need that kind of risk and worry in my life? Heck no.
Well, another lesson learned.....


Well done!

-c

gatt writes:

Well done!

Staying below the weight limit would be better done. Bending the rules and
surviving is scarcely commendable when you could have simply obeyed the rules
instead.

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

gatt writes:

Well done!

Staying below the weight limit would be better done. Bending the
rules and surviving is scarcely commendable when you could have simply
obeyed the rules instead.


What's the difference? Nothing whatsoever to do with you.
Nothing.


Bertie

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

gatt writes:

Well done!

Staying below the weight limit would be better done. Bending the
rules and surviving is scarcely commendable when you could have simply
obeyed the rules instead.

You've never flown in conditions where the FARs allow you to depart
overweight? If you haven't, then STFU, you moron.

Mxsmanic wrote:
gatt writes:

Well done!

Staying below the weight limit would be better done. Bending the rules and
surviving is scarcely commendable when you could have simply obeyed the rules
instead.

If actual pilots here need advice they'll get it from pilots. You
don't know what you're talking about, you're not qualified to discuss
the "rules" and the actual pilots here don't need to and should not take
advice from a poser.

You don't fly and you've never flown. You play with yourself. Taking
advice from you would is dangerous.

-c
CP-ASEL-IA

gatt writes:

If actual pilots here need advice they'll get it from pilots.

Since a lot of actual pilots ignore any advice that doesn't agree with their
own beliefs, it doesn't really matter where it comes from.

You don't know what you're talking about, you're not qualified to discuss
the "rules" and the actual pilots here don't need to and should not take
advice from a poser.

The rules are pretty clear, and anyone can understand them, pilot or not.
Even lawyers and insurance adjusters can understand them. It's not a secret
code.

On Apr 23, 6:45*am, Mxsmanic wrote:


You don't know what you're talking about, you're not qualified to discuss
the "rules" and the actual pilots here don't need to and should not take
advice from a poser.

The rules are pretty clear, and anyone can understand them, pilot or not.
Even lawyers and insurance adjusters can understand them. *It's not a secret
code.

They have secret decoder rings that translate what you read into
something else.

Cheers

In article a2ec3b3d-5285-4668-96d9-df04f0506686
@l42g2000hsc.googlegroups.com, says...
On Apr 23, 6:45*am, Mxsmanic wrote:


You don't know what you're talking about, you're not qualified to discuss
the "rules" and the actual pilots here don't need to and should not take
advice from a poser.

The rules are pretty clear, and anyone can understand them, pilot or not.