All good comments. So far your lady is the lightest. I guess I can see a plane weighing in at 804 without all that you have mentioned.
thanks, Richard ________________________________ From: David Winters <[email protected]> To: Richard McClure <[email protected]>; [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 9:19:13 AM Subject: RE: [ercoupe-tech] W & B continued Richard, I usually flee from commenting on a lady's weight, but I seem to have the most light-weight bird reporting so far. Frolic weighs is 879 lbs. Just weighed this year. But, she has no installed radio or gps, (I use hand-helds) and the upholstery is very limited. Her wings are cloth and newly re-covered. (We removed several pounds of rodent nests/trash in the process.) She has an added stainless steel firewall and a bubble windshield. I could get her lighter by eliminating the landing lights, venturi, and un-necessary instruments, changing over to an alternator and light-weight starter, wood prop, a single fork nose gear, and aluminum wing tanks. This would probably bring her down by 20 lbs or so, I am guessing. But, if we removed the starter, generator and battery altogether, that would take out maybe 50 lbs? So, then, she would be down closer to the 804 lbs you quoted. If we really got pushy, the peak tank could come out, too. But we would need to add a fuel pump. There are, I am sure, some lighter birds out there than mine. VR, Dave +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From:[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Richard McClure Sent: Wednesday, 02 September, 2009 7:57 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [ercoupe-tech] W & B continued Thanks for all who are sharing their plane's "Empty Weight". I was thinking mine was heavy but it looks like it is very typical. Jim had shared a W & B form with me and it showed, for an example, an ercoupe with a empty weight of only 804 lbs. Is this weight really possible? I'm sure it is a fabric wing with little instrumentation but still only 804 lbs. Maybe we ought to have a contest for the lightest ercoupe (The Biggest Loser). I've never watched that show. Any comments on the lightest? Richard N94004
