Pilot weight and gliding
JohnH
I'm just now learning about Gliding and will start instruction soon.
Question: I'm 6ft tall and weigh 232 lbs. Have I weighed myself out of
many sailplane options? I DO plan on losing some more weight, but just
in case I don't, would appreciate some knowledge on this :) The
instructor said I'm ok for the trainer I'll be flying in.
Thanks in advance
john
DGRTEK
The 2-33 for example has a max weight limit of 1040. Approximately 640lb of
that is Iron so that leaves you 400lbs to split between the two of you. You
have to see the WB for the actual ship you will be flying, ships that have had
work and paint jobs add up weight.
It really boils down to specific weight and balance figures for each sailplane.
If you plan on taking lessons in a 2-33, and you say you are 232lbs
clothed..extra radios, gps,water bottle.....your instructor can weigh no more
than an honest 168lbs.
All that being said, I've seen more than one pair go up that combined couldn't
possibly weigh 400lbs or less!
Some gliders will be a better fit than others.. you'll have to find out whats
comfortable for you.
Good luck!
Douglas
JohnH
Thanks Douglas...I was starting to wonder if powered aircraft might
better suit me because of my weight being a hassle, but powered aircraft
don't do much for me though.
My instructor told me of a guy that used to fly quite a bit, then put a
lot of weight on and couldn't fly for 9 months til he lost it, now he's
back at it regularly :) I was wondering why everyone I saw at the local
Gliderport were either short or tall and slim :=0
I need to lose some weight for sure, but at 47 with recent back surgery,
it's not easy right now to excersize.
john
Liam Finley
If you want to move into high performance single seaters, your
options will be somewhat restricted, but you'll manage to find
something. Its typical for Euro gliders to come out of the factory
with a max cockpit load of 242 lbs (110 kg.), but that often gets
reduced when extra equipment is installed.
On the other hand, if you are content to fly Schweizer junk your whole
life, you've got nothing to worry about.
Marc Ramsey
> On the other hand, if you are content to fly Schweizer junk your whole
> life, you've got nothing to worry about.
Gee, what a fine way to encourage a newcomer to become involved in this sport.
At least he'll find out what he's up against early on...
Marc
Guy Byars
> options will be somewhat restricted, but you'll manage to find
> something. Its typical for Euro gliders to come out of the factory
> with a max cockpit load of 242 lbs (110 kg.), but that often gets
> reduced when extra equipment is installed.
Most high performance gliders have provision to store ballast in the tail.
This could increase the minimum cockpit weight. You will have to reduce the
water ballast accordingly to stay below gross weight.
Bob Kibby
weigh 210 lbs. Plenty of room for a big guy. Information on Wings and Wheels
web site under used sailplanes. I believe it is on sheet 7 or 8 of Tim's
used sailplane listings.
Bob Kibby "59A" old SZD-59 and ""2BK" new Discus-2T
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"JohnH" <jou...@adelphia.net> wrote in message
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BTIZ
of 242 lbs (US) or 110Kg, that cannot be adjusted (increased)by extra
ballast weight in the tail, regardless of what the W&B computes out to. It
is a manufacturing design limit for structural integrity under impact loads.
The other consideration other than weight, especially with an aircraft like
the 2-32, is the "belly girth", even at 6ft+ and 232#, if you can't get full
aft stick movement.. don't fly.
Our very lightest CFI turned down a student, the CG worked out ok, but the
"fit check" did not.
BT
"Guy Byars" <g...@NEYTSPAMbyars.com> wrote in message
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JohnH
No, I sure don't want to fly Schweizer junk my whole life. But, I'm not
looking to do aerobatics either....and least not on purpose, at this time :)
Thanks for the replies. Marc, I grew up in newsgroups and really
expected some pretty rude comments, but haven't received any yet. I
have also received some encouraging and enlightening emails. I
apparently am not the only one on this board that has been fighting the
pilot weight problem ;>
john
BTIZ
"Bob Kibby" <bki...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:FYe1b.170667$Oz4.44660@rwcrnsc54...
Shirley
>On the other hand, if you are content to fly
>Schweizer junk your whole life, you've got
>nothing to worry about.
Unless that was said "tongue-in-cheek", that's just plain ignorant. You don't
have to like it, but Schweizer has its place. Not everyone who loves to go
places and drive has to do so in a Ferrari to enjoy the trip!
--Shirley
Tom Seim
Schleicher makes gliders that will take your frame.
BTW, the Adkins diet worked for me, dropped about 30 lbs.
JohnH
Well put, Shirley!
john
Andy Blackburn
Watch the cholesterol though.
At 03:48 22 August 2003, Tom Seim wrote:
>JohnH wrote in message news:...
F.L. Whiteley
Although I bike 45-60mins most days, exercise won't do it all. When I did
high impact step in the mid-90's, I got into very good condition;^) and
gained 25lbs;^(
Frank Whiteley
JohnH
Yep, I'm doing the Atkins...that worked well for a friend of mine also.
I guess gliding just gives me one more incentive to add to the long
list of incentives to slim down :)
john
Liam Finley
Gee, what a fine way to encourage a newcomer to become involved in
this sport.
> At least he'll find out what he's up against early on...
>
> Marc
Schweizers are more accomodating for the larger and heavier pilots, is
all I was saying. Twas not meant to discourage.
Liam Finley
Not ignorance. I've more time in Schweizers than most US pilots have
in the air total. Yes, they have their place, it's called an aluminum
recycling plant.
goneill
rigging gear but is a huge cockpit and
a max placarded weight 140kg - 150kg without tailballast.and 50/1 ld
I saw a pilot who put even put one on its nose while waiting for takeoff
mm
"Liam Finley" <fado...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d14b8f27.0308...@posting.google.com...
Arrogance perhaps then?
Doug Hoffman
I will assume you meant "maximum" cockpit weight.
Isn't water ballast a different issue from fuselage weight? In other
words, it may be perfectly ok, structurally, to add 300 lbs of water
in the wings but that same 300 lbs added to the fuselage (with pilot)
would not be ok. The issue is the structural limits of attachment of
the fuse to the wings, I believe. Perhaps I simply misread your
message and this is not what you were implying. But I add this
comment just to make the issue clear to the original poster.
Water in the wings does not stress the attachment of the fuse.
-Doug
George William Peter Reinhart
Look at Grob single and twins.
Mini Nimbus, Open Cirrus, Standard Cirrus.
Nimbus 2, Nimbus 3, Nimbus 4 for big wings and big cockpits (price
escalates with model number here).
Tim Mara has a nice Open Jantar package well priced on his web site.
Liz Scwenkler has a well priced Nimbus 3 there too.
All above have roomy cockpits and there are probably others.
Cheers!, Pete
George William Peter Reinhart
It IS ignorance if you haven't the ability to appreciate the elegance and
utility of the solution.
There will very likely be Schweizers serving yeoman duty teaching new
pilots to fly long after your done with flying and gone to meet your maker.
Cheers!
Vaughn
"Andy Blackburn" <REMOVE_TO_R...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:bi42lr$52upj$1...@ID-49798.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Atkins - 35 lbs. in 2.5 mos.
>
> Watch the cholesterol though.
>
went the low-fat route, lost about 50 pounds, and haven't looked back. It
also got me off cholesterol medication. Like all diets, low fat has its
medical caveats. Low fat products tend to substitute sugar for fat to add
taste; watch your blood sugar.
Vaughn
Nolaminar
GA
Drew Hamilton
>have also received some encouraging and enlightening emails. I
>apparently am not the only one on this board that has been fighting the
>pilot weight problem ;>
I weigh 220 and I should probably weigh about 170. I fly powered planes
and I've just started soaring. I don't really know about soaring, since
I just started and my instructor is a beanpole, but in powered planes, my
biggest problem has been how many passengers I can take. Right now I can
get 2 adults and 1 kid, but if I lose the 50 lbs., I can take 3 adults
(assuming that one of them is a woman, probably). Also, when I fly solo,
it means that I could take an extra 9 gallons (1 hour) of fuel on board.
In any case, don't let it bother you -- flying and soaring both kick ass!
Even if you have to fly in big clunky junk, it's still better than not
flying at all.
- awh
Mark James Boyd
California. The Schweizer 2-33, Grob 103, and Blanik L-13.
There's also the L-23, I guess, but I don't know anything about it
and have never flown one, so I'll not talk about it.
Of the first three, I've flown with tall and girthy folks
in each. The 2-33 seems to give the best space overall.
The G-103 is also great for tall folks, but doesn't have
quite the girth. The L-13 is the worst of the three for both
height and girth. Seeing a guys legs hit the stick, and
bumping arms on the side, is not great. Don't get me wrong,
it may still work for you, but compared to the other two, the
L-13 has less room.
But a 2-33 seems like it would be just the show for a larger guy.
I flew with a 230#, 5'10" guy in the front, and me at 150# in the
back, and the only thing I noticed was the 2-33 simply would
not stall. Stable as could be with that C.G. :)
I don't know about the 1-35 or 1-34 later for solo, since I've never
flown these, but they might work? The 1-26 is a little small, but
you can try it later anyway if you want. I personally prefer solo
in the 2-33 than the 1-26 though, so maybe no point even considering
the 1-26 if the 2-33 gives you ample room...
As far as other solo ships go, worry about that when you get there...
Mark James Boyd
>in the air total. Yes, they have their place, it's called an aluminum
>recycling plant.
What a coincidence! I was just opening such a plant! Anyone
wanting to discard their Schweizer please bring it to me and
I will happily pay the going recycle rate.
(Sanford and Sons theme plays in the background, then
Sir Mix-A-Lot lyric "pull up quick to git widdum")
Hmmm...620,000 US pilots, 130K US pilots with Airplane ATP (1500+ hrs).
Average US pilot, must have well over 300 hrs. So Liam has over 300
hours in Schweizers.
How'd he do that since they're such hunks of junk? Perhaps a
LOT of time on tow... :PPPP
Liam Finley
> How'd he do that since they're such hunks of junk? Perhaps a
> LOT of time on tow... :PPPP
No, a lot of time circling, blissfully ignorant of how much more fun
I'd be having if I were flying a well-designed aircraft.
Liam Finley
You've got it backwards. Ignorance is having known only Schweizers,
and being unable to appreciate how poorly designed and functioning
they are. I've been there.
DGRTEK
>Even if you have to fly in big clunky junk, it's still better than not
>flying at all.
Well said. I've never left the field after soaring without having a smile on
my face.
So far I've only flown in a 2-33, Blanik and 1-26.
Douglas
Nolaminar
GA
BPattonsoa
Bruce Greeff
OK that's not quite true, but there is as much fun to be had stooging
around in a vintage wood/tube and fabric glider, or a metal aerobatic
plane as there is in a modern composite machine. The flying may be
different, but you can enjoy it just as much.
I fly from a 1950's bergfalke, K13, Blanik L13, Grob 103 and std Cirrus.
On a marginal day or for taking passenger for a gentle ride there is no
question about which is the best. Spins in the K13 are fun - would not
describe them that way in the Cirrus...
When the air is hardly moving you can climb in the Bergie, while the
higher wingloading planes are landing. Control harmonisation wasn't
invented when Egon Scheibe designed this one, and it shows. Flying her
well is part of the fun. I assume the 2-33 is similar.
Now if you want to go somewhere it's a different matter.
Doug Hoffman
> "Guy Byars" <g...@NEYTSPAMbyars.com> wrote in message news:<3f457208$0$12612$a046...@nnrp.fuse.net>...
> >
> > This could increase the minimum cockpit weight. You will have to reduce the
> > water ballast accordingly to stay below gross weight.
>
> I will assume you meant "maximum" cockpit weight.
My apologies. You had it right with "minimum" cockpit weight.
-Doug
root
> ...
> Not ignorance. I've more time in Schweizers than most US pilots have
> in the air total. Yes, they have their place, it's called an aluminum
> recycling plant.
Unlike their french equivalent, the Bijaves, as they are mainly made of
wood and fabric, they are useful as combustible for doing barbecues.
root
> ...
> I need to lose some weight for sure, but at 47 with recent back surgery,
> it's not easy right now to excersize.
> ...
If you can't increase the output, then decrease the input :-).
Bert Willing
--
Bert Willing
ASW20 "TW"
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