zatatime wrote in message . ..
Puppycock! (And many other expletives as well). Arguments can be made
that dirt and grime accumulate and make an airplane heavier.

Then the owner should clean it . Dirt and grime inside the
cockpit and fuselage hold moisture and promote corrosion.

I took about 30 lbs. of extraneous crap and
wiring out of my plane when I bought it. IMO it's a trade off

It's a very valid point that airplanes "age" as they get older,
and that the actual weight of the plane may be heavier (or lighter)
than calculated.

But if one suspects that the empty weight on the W&B is inaccurate,
it seems to me that the correct "fix" is not to tell all the pilots
flying it to T/O and land at faster speeds -- it's to WEIGH THE PLANE
and calculate a new, accurate empty weight.

There's also the point that if one stalls the plane and the stall
speed differs substantially from 'book' (or at less than gross weight,
calculated value), one can then adjust -- pretty close to your point
"fly the wing" except that I suggest exploring the envelope at altitude
first, in a new-to-the-pilot plane....

Cheers,
Sydney