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Scales for Weight and Balance



 
 
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  #11  
Old May 5th 20, 12:57 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Richard Pfiffner[_2_]
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Posts: 319
Default Scales for Weight and Balance

On Monday, May 4, 2020 at 10:41:50 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
On Monday, May 4, 2020 at 1:16:42 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Sunday, May 3, 2020 at 12:59:41 PM UTC-4, wrote:
Hello All,

Las Vegas Valley Soaring is currently restoring our beloved SGS 1-26D and will need to establish a new empty weight CG once finished. Does anyone know where I might source a borrowed or rented set of scales?


Thanks!
Dennis Ballew
Vice President
Las Vegas Valley Soaring.


Schweizer documentation indicated that, if no big scale is available, use 2 bathroom scales with a board across them.
FWIW
UH


Electronic scales that measure up to 300 kg are available for under $100. I calibrated a pair of bathroom scales by going to an immediate care clinic with a backpack loaded with about 50 lbs of weights. I asked to use their patient platform scale, which they gladly agreed to. I weighed myself with and without the backpack. I then weighed myself the same way on both bathroom scales (they were surprisingly accurate). The most critical measurement is the tail weight as it has the longest moment arm. I would check the scale this way as close as possible to the expected tail weight.

One thing to keep in mind is that any breeze will upset this measurement. Either find a hangar you can do this in, or go out early and do it on a calm day.

Tom


Buy 3 of these for $34.99 ea free Prime shipping. Make a ramp to use 2 on the main wheel and one for the tail. 440 lbs capacity ea.

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Weigh-S...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Richard
  #12  
Old May 5th 20, 01:17 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Posts: 281
Default Scales for Weight and Balance


Buy 3 of these for $34.99 ea free Prime shipping. Make a ramp to use 2 on the main wheel and one for the tail.


Those look great. I think I would use some 3/4 plywood scraps to help out the force summer in each scale. Two square scraps for the tail wheel and 2 rectangular scraps to couple the two for the main.

(That's an old trick from the guys at a scale company I did s/w for)
  #13  
Old May 6th 20, 04:24 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
2G
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,439
Default Scales for Weight and Balance

On Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 4:57:52 AM UTC-7, Richard Pfiffner wrote:
On Monday, May 4, 2020 at 10:41:50 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
On Monday, May 4, 2020 at 1:16:42 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Sunday, May 3, 2020 at 12:59:41 PM UTC-4, wrote:
Hello All,

Las Vegas Valley Soaring is currently restoring our beloved SGS 1-26D and will need to establish a new empty weight CG once finished. Does anyone know where I might source a borrowed or rented set of scales?


Thanks!
Dennis Ballew
Vice President
Las Vegas Valley Soaring.

Schweizer documentation indicated that, if no big scale is available, use 2 bathroom scales with a board across them.
FWIW
UH


Electronic scales that measure up to 300 kg are available for under $100. I calibrated a pair of bathroom scales by going to an immediate care clinic with a backpack loaded with about 50 lbs of weights. I asked to use their patient platform scale, which they gladly agreed to. I weighed myself with and without the backpack. I then weighed myself the same way on both bathroom scales (they were surprisingly accurate). The most critical measurement is the tail weight as it has the longest moment arm. I would check the scale this way as close as possible to the expected tail weight.

One thing to keep in mind is that any breeze will upset this measurement. Either find a hangar you can do this in, or go out early and do it on a calm day.

Tom


Buy 3 of these for $34.99 ea free Prime shipping. Make a ramp to use 2 on the main wheel and one for the tail. 440 lbs capacity ea.

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Weigh-S...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Richard


Be careful. Here is one review:

this scale sucks! it is not accurate and got 5 out of 6 box weights wrong when I took them to the UPS they were all a few pounds over what the scale had told me. one of them was wrong by 8 pounds.

Using a scale so far off to do a W&B can lead to very significant errors if used to weigh the tail. A 1 lb error in measuring the tail weight of an ASH26e, for example, will result in a 3.3% error in the CG. An 8 lb error results in 26% error, which can be deadly.

Tom
  #14  
Old May 15th 20, 06:46 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Mark Briner
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Posts: 2
Default Scales for Weight and Balance

Ask the local soapbox derby crew. They have good calibrated digital scales usually.
 




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