Re: weight issue

["Robert L. Carnevale" <cw5aso@erols.com>]

The FAA doesn't want to regulate weight standards for passengers or
crewmembers.  The only weight standards they are concerned with deal
with aircraft performance and the gross weight of the aircraft.

Your pilots deal with this issue (especially in those aircraft that are
CG and weight sensitive) everyday.  It seems that when medical personnel
are given an aircraft with empty space, they will find something to put
in it.  Add crewmembers, to include pilots that weight 220-250 lbs and
you soon reach gross weight or performance limits on some of the
aircraft being flown in our industry.

Since there is a wide variety of aircraft being flown, a one size policy
fits all won't work.  This is an area where the program director/manager
in conjunction with the aviation manager need to look at and address
their individual situation (type aircraft, mission, area flown,
personnel).

Since most programs do not have an appropriate weight policy or program,
what do they do?  Most programs that I know of will download on the
amount of fuel they carry in warmer temperatures (above 85 F) so gross
weight isn't the limiting factor.  The limiting factor then becomes
performance and endurance.

*By appropriate weight policy I mean one that considers the aircraft
(performance, limits and mission), not just an HR worded policy to
satisfy the legal department.

Bob Carnevale
Pilot
Safety Manger


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