JohnH wrote:
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