Basic empty weight

[Wyoming1]

Curious as to what your showing for a basic empty weight? And is that an actual certified weighed weight or calculated from factory?

[voorheesh]

Empty weight (Licensed) is airframe, engine(s), items of installed equipment, unusable fuel, hydraulic fluids, and engine oil that cannot be drained.

Standard empty weight is the above but with the engine oil added. This value should be entered in the airplane weight and balance record at the time of manufacture.

Operators, owners, pilots can find this information in the W&B record required to be carried aboard.

As an airplane ages and is maintained and/or modified, the owner is required to update the record to ensure it properly shows the current empty weight and CG location. Changes of less than one pound (rivits, nuts, bolts, washers, etc) are considered negligible and do not require calculation. Changes of more than one pound require calculation per station location and must be documented by a certificated maintenance technician or repair station. (Some might argue that statement). In any case this results in a revised W&B record.

When contemplating the empty weight of a seventy year old airplane, a good place to start is the equipment list which can be compared to the actual configuration and weight and balance record(s). If there are significant discrepancies or missing documentation, the airplane can fairly easily be reweighed and a revised (current) empty weight and CG location established.

[Wyoming1]

Understood. Just interested in what other 170 owners have as their BEW.

[rnealon1]

I had my '54 170B with stock C-145 engine and no major modifications weighed a few years ago:

BEW: 1330 pounds
CG: 39.70"

This was within 14 pounds and 1" of the calculated BEW and CG, based on the original Licensed Empty Weight.

Bob

[voorheesh]

Understood. Just interested in what other 170 owners have as their BEW.

Sorry! Misunderstood your question. I’m a CFI and have a student who needs explanation for basic weight, etc. and your post gave me chance to practice a lesson.

I used to own a 1950 170A that had all its original records including weight at manufacture. It went through numerous modifications including adding floats, Horton STOL, and others. When I reweighed it (back on wheels), it was just under a 100 pounds heavier than original. About 50 years old at the time. Everyone of these old airplanes likely has their own story and in my experience most gain weight over the years.

[redacted]

Mine on 8.50's is 1420. On 29's it's 1444.

Lyc O-360 Avcon conversion, MT prop. 175 wings, sportsman cuff, AK bushwheels tailwheel. Def some pounds added on, I think the sportsman kit is 20#

[ghostflyer]

While I will admit this is a bit of a thread drift but when have we checked our Take off/landing check sheets etc for accuracy. I was talking to some colleagues and they were surprised at my speeds for landing and other Manouvers. All my speeds were 10 kts faster or totally wrong . This information was printed on the check sheet that was in the aircraft when I purchased the project. While it was old and tattered it had 170 series and 172 series up to the D series on the top of the sheet . After getting some heat from my “friends” I then asked Gahorn[George] what speeds he used . For 2 hours i practised circuits and his suggestions and wow, from trying to put down a crazy tiger it’s now a pussy cat to land . My landing runs are 50% shorter . Thank you George .