"Mark James Boyd" wrote in message
news:3fe48d7d@darkstar...


I know that stall speed, and min sink and best L/D and\
Va, all change with weight. But what about Vno?
I have never heard of Vno changing with weight.
I know it is predicated on a vertical gust of
some amount (anywhere from 20-45 ft/sec depending
on certifying rules). For now let's assume
it's just 45ft/sec.

How is Vno determined? Does it vary at all with weight?
It seems strange that it would not, but I must say I don't
really know how it is determined.

Part of a question on my checkride yesterday was how
does ballast affect Vspeeds. I didn't know this answer,
but passed anyway (the FAA inspector only required
a 70% level of knowledge to pass).

By the way, many thanks and gratitude to all the
folks who participated (sometimes very strongly
in threads over the past few months. It really helped
me to understand a LOT of the more challenging
aspects of soaring. It takes many eggs to make an
omlette! I really appreciate the folks that really
took time to contribute, and even the folks that
got very excited taking a different side sometimes
added a lot to the group for me. The Lennie's and Bill's
and Al's of the group may sometimes seem a little
grumpy, but I'm also grateful for them, because they
represent those colorful folks we also meet right
there at the local gliderport who give a frank and
bald opinion sometimes (when maybe some of the rest of
us would let it drop

In the end, thanks for ALL of your input and various
experience levels. It has been VERY enlightening!

Merry Christmas!

Mark


Vno is not effected by weight, I think this is the applicable regulation:

§23.1505 Airspeed limitations.

(b) The maximum structural cruising speed VNO must be established so that it
is --

(1) Not less than the minimum value of VC allowed under §23.335; and

(2) Not more than the lesser of --

(i) VC established under §23.335; or

(ii) 0.89 VNE established under paragraph (a) of this section.



Ivan