Weight and balance, ballast, trim when flying alone

writes:

You can run one tank dry in a Bonanza and have the other at 35 gallons
and only need 1/4 twist of the aileron trim to keep things balanced.

1/4 twist = 1/4 rotation of the knob (90 degrees of rotation)?

If that's true, then I suppose the weight of the pilot must be far less
significant in comparison.

I doubt there is a Bonanza flying with a "Both" selection.

I've seen pictures of selectors with a "both" position, although apparently
they don't come that way from the factory. Odd that such a position isn't
standard. Dreamfleet puts such a selector in its Bonanza (one of the very few
departures from reality) because MSFS supposedly exaggerates fuel imbalances.
I always leave it in that position.

If you're "flying" in MSFS, the aerodynamic positive stability
tendencies are exaggerated to make it less off putting for non-pilots.

They may be for the default aircraft, but not necessarily for add-ons, which
handle very differently from the default aircraft. The best add-ons make such
a large difference that it's like flying an entirely new simulator.

I can always tell when I'm flying with a MSFS Pilot -- they flare
high, fixate on the instruments, and have poor coordination.

I can always tell when a real pilot of small aircraft is flying the sim,
because he doesn't know what most of the instruments are for, can't fly safely
in IMC, and can't land the plane without an accident because he depends on the
seat of his pants for everything.

The real value to a real pilot of MSFS is practicing certain (albeit
limited) procedures, lesson preview and review, approach practice, and
assistance in acquiring an ear for ATC communications.

You're not really flying, though.

It's good enough for me, and it's very practical.

You're not really flying, though.

It's good enough for me, and it's very practical.

Practical? That implies usefulness. An airplane can be flown somewhere
to accomplish something.

No matter what you "fly" in MSFS, you remain in place.

"Useful" and "Practical" only apply in support of some other function.
A manure shovel is not practical or useful in surgery, but it is very
practical and useful in a barn or a newsgroup.

MSFS may be entertaining, or even quasi-informative, but "practical"
is not an appropriate adjective.

Dan

Practical? It sure is, it's the most covenient way to get from here to
here. Or there to there.





On Jan 16, 9:12*am, Mxsmanic wrote:
writes:
You can run one tank dry in a Bonanza and have the other at 35 gallons
and only need 1/4 twist of the aileron trim to keep things balanced.

1/4 twist = 1/4 rotation of the knob (90 degrees of rotation)?

If that's true, then I suppose the weight of the pilot must be far less
significant in comparison.

I doubt there is a Bonanza flying with a "Both" selection.

I've seen pictures of selectors with a "both" position, although apparently
they don't come that way from the factory. *Odd that such a position isn't
standard. *Dreamfleet puts such a selector in its Bonanza (one of the very few
departures from reality) because MSFS supposedly exaggerates fuel imbalances.
I always leave it in that position.

If you're "flying" in MSFS, the aerodynamic positive stability
tendencies are exaggerated to make it less off putting for non-pilots.

They may be for the default aircraft, but not necessarily for add-ons, which
handle very differently from the default aircraft. *The best add-ons make such
a large difference that it's like flying an entirely new simulator.

I can always tell when I'm flying with a MSFS Pilot -- they flare
high, fixate on the instruments, and have poor coordination.

I can always tell when a real pilot of small aircraft is flying the sim,
because he doesn't know what most of the instruments are for, can't fly safely
in IMC, and can't land the plane without an accident because he depends on the
seat of his pants for everything.

The real value to a real pilot of MSFS is practicing certain (albeit
limited) procedures, lesson preview and review, approach practice, and
assistance in acquiring an ear for ATC communications.

You're not really flying, though.

It's good enough for me, and it's very practical.

Mxsmanic wrote:

I've seen pictures of selectors with a "both" position, although apparently
they don't come that way from the factory. Odd that such a position isn't
standard. Dreamfleet puts such a selector in its Bonanza (one of the very few
departures from reality) because MSFS supposedly exaggerates fuel imbalances.
I always leave it in that position.


Please point me to such a picture. I've never seen one.

I want you to do an easy experiment that will show you the problem with
a non gravity feed system that uses a "both" position.

Take a glass of water and two drinking straws. Put one of the straws in
the water and hold the other out side of the glass. Now put both straws
in your mouth and suck. Unless you are doing something to block the
straw that isn't in the water you will find it very hard to get a drink.
The same thing happens with a non gravity feed fuel system in the "both"
mode.

Thomas Borchert wrote in
:

Tina,

Bertie, MX may not be overqualified as ballast.


Ah, but he might start to talk.


True..


You'd have to come up with an appropriate method to keep him quiet!

Bertie

Stealth Pilot wrote in
:

On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 02:24:43 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

Mxsmanic wrote in
m:

WingFlaps writes:

Will wonders never cease, he admits it at last! The answer is that
MSFS simulation is nothing like really flying.

I didn't say it was nothing like really flying,


It isn't anything like flying.


Bertie

my niece's boyfriend at the time was a mad keen flight sim flier.
on the last visit she sidled up to me and asked Unk' if he'd take the
boyfriend flying in the Tailwind.

unk takes him out and taught him how to fly straight and level and how
to make gentle turns at a fixed altitude. the boy did ok in the 40
mins we flew. he started with no real skills and was quite passable in
the end.

his comment on landing. "bloody hell the simulator is *nothing* like
real flying"

my friend the bunyip is not exaggerating.


Especially not in your airplane!


Probably the ones that are furthest away form Reality are the WW1
airplanes. MSFS used to come with a Camel which was the easist to fly of
all the airplanes in the pack. Bwawahwahwhahwahwhahwhahwhahwhahwhahwh!



Bertie

" wrote in
:

On Jan 15, 9:20 pm, Mxsmanic wrote:
I never burn fuel from a single side at a time, so I cannot comment
on that. Both the Bonanza and the Baron let you draw fuel from both
tanks, and that's how I leave it set.

If you are heavy and alone in the plane, it has a distinct tendency
to bank towards the heavy side. The Bonanza does this, anyway, so
it's harder to notice, but the Baron will do it, only not as
obviously. When I first started flying these aircraft I noticed odd
banking tendencies and it took a while for it to dawn on me that the
aircraft was simply loaded unevenly.

You can run one tank dry in a Bonanza and have the other at 35 gallons
and only need 1/4 twist of the aileron trim to keep things balanced. I
haven't tried draining one side tank and tip tank, though, but that's
not the recommended procedure IAW the STC, so I won't be trying it.

I doubt there is a Bonanza flying with a "Both" selection.


Bad idea in a low wing airplane. It's going to favor one tank until it's
dry and then your engine will quit with one tank nearly full!


Bertie

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

writes:

You can run one tank dry in a Bonanza and have the other at 35
gallons and only need 1/4 twist of the aileron trim to keep things
balanced.

1/4 twist = 1/4 rotation of the knob (90 degrees of rotation)?

If that's true, then I suppose the weight of the pilot must be far
less significant in comparison.

I doubt there is a Bonanza flying with a "Both" selection.

I've seen pictures of selectors with a "both" position, although
apparently they don't come that way from the factory. Odd that such a
position isn't standard. Dreamfleet puts such a selector in its
Bonanza (one of the very few departures from reality) because MSFS
supposedly exaggerates fuel imbalances. I always leave it in that
position.


They don't do it because they don't build airplanes for idiots.

Like you , for instance.


Bertie

Gig 601XL Builder wrote in
:

Mxsmanic wrote:

I've seen pictures of selectors with a "both" position, although
apparently they don't come that way from the factory. Odd that such
a position isn't standard. Dreamfleet puts such a selector in its
Bonanza (one of the very few departures from reality) because MSFS
supposedly exaggerates fuel imbalances. I always leave it in that
position.


Please point me to such a picture. I've never seen one.

I want you to do an easy experiment that will show you the problem
with a non gravity feed system that uses a "both" position.

Take a glass of water and two drinking straws. Put one of the straws
in the water and hold the other out side of the glass. Now put both
straws in your mouth and suck. Unless you are doing something to block
the straw that isn't in the water you will find it very hard to get a
drink. The same thing happens with a non gravity feed fuel system in
the "both"
mode.




Xactly. I know of an RV6 where they installed a selector with a both"
position "in the interest of safety" How it got past the DAR I have no
idea, but it crashed on it's second flight........


Bertie

You can run one tank dry in a Bonanza and have the other at 35 gallons
and only need 1/4 twist of the aileron trim to keep things balanced. I
haven't tried draining one side tank and tip tank, though, but that's
not the recommended procedure IAW the STC, so I won't be trying it.

Bad idea in a low wing airplane. It's going to favor one tank until it's
dry and then your engine will quit with one tank nearly full!

Bertie


You're absolutely correct.

There's nothing in the POH about it. Any BPPP grads here care to chime
in?

Dan