Chubby people will bankrupt American healthcare

[Tallpine]

We use average weights.  Every adult is 200 pounds, carry-ons included.  Kids are 80.  Infants are 0.  Checked bags are 35lbs, IIRC, heavy bags are 50, gate checked bags are 15.  My company has done two weight audits that I know of.  The first time, the weights were right on the money.  The second time, we had to increase the average passenger weight.

If we had to weigh everyone individually, we would never get off the gate.

Log trucks have built in scales - why not airplanes 

You could have main and nosewheel weights which would give you balance information.

[MechAg94]

Just have a scale right there where you check in with your ticket.  Make it big enough to drag all your luggage in the square.  Doesn't have to be to the nearest ounce.  Plus or minus 5 pounds would be fine. 

[Fly320s]

Log trucks have built in scales - why not airplanes 

You could have main and nosewheel weights which would give you balance information.

Unnecessary weight to carry and maintain. Not worth the effort.

Just have a scale right there where you check in with your ticket.  Make it big enough to drag all your luggage in the square.  Doesn't have to be to the nearest ounce.  Plus or minus 5 pounds would be fine. 

Makes sense to me, but someone will complain about being treated like cattle.

[zahc]

Unnecessary weight to carry and maintain. Not worth the effort.

The DOT have portable platform scales they haul around in trucks and put under each tire of semi trucks to weigh them in the field. Just park the plane on those during loading.

[charby]

Makes sense to me, but someone will complain about being treated like cattle.

Probably some HIPPA or ADA violation also.

[birdman]

One time I flew IAD to SFO with myself (225) and 4 bags, totalling about 270lbs, (100, 100, 50, 20)...two in very large pelican cases.  You'd be amazed at the looks I got from TSA when they opened to inspect and had to ask what the assemblage of electronic-looking stuff, weird metal shapes, and wires was.  I could have said it was nuclear bomb parts and they probably wouldn't have questioned me.

Other lesson: trying to find insurance for $800k of stiff in one suitcase is difficult. :)

[bedlamite]

Other lesson: trying to find insurance for $800k of stiff in one suitcase is difficult. :)

That's kinda pricy for a stiff.

[RoadKingLarry]

That's kinda pricy for a stiff.

What would be a good price for a stiffy?

[230RN]

Log trucks have built in scales - why not airplanes  

You could have main and nosewheel weights (I'm sure you meant sensors) which would give you balance information.

Measure tire pressures?  Don't they have pressure sensors anyway?  Difficult computation for multi-wheel and strut landing gear, but that's what computin' engines are for.  And software is weightless.  

I think.

Distance (ultrasonically, infraredically, radarally) of nose and tail tips and wing tips to ground?  (Very light components to measure this. Ditto but less complicated on the computations.)

I think.

Difference from "normal" as sensed by the various attitude sensors, but while on the ground?  (If they're that sensitive --compared to the whole weight of the vehicle, they might not be.)

I can hear the auto-voice now..."Loading error... loading error... Passenger in D-26 is a fatso... loading error... loading error...."

Hmmm... only half kidding.  The big problem is the weights of the items (passengers and cargo) versus the weight of the whole aircraft --a tiny fraction.  Yet, it is important enough for the pilot to do calculations based on loading information.

I think.

Terry, 230RN

[Tallpine]

What would be a good price for a stiffy?

What'd y'all order a dead guy for?

[MechAg94]

Makes sense to me, but someone will complain about being treated like cattle.

Just tell them it is to prevent terrorism like the TSA check points.

[Fly320s]

What would be a good price for a stiffy?

According to the ads I see on the Internets, Viagra is $5.95 with free shipping.

[Fly320s]

Hmmm... only half kidding.  The big problem is the weights of the items (passengers and cargo) versus the weight of the whole aircraft --a tiny fraction.  Yet, it is important enough for the pilot to do calculations based on loading information.

I think.

Terry, 230RN

Empty plane weighs about 100,000lbs.  Max takeoff weight is about 170,000lbs.

[MillCreek]

How much of that 70,000 pound payload is fuel?

[KD5NRH]

Empty plane weighs about 100,000lbs.  Max takeoff weight is about 170,000lbs.

Again, catapulting the heaviest passengers to a low cruising altitude could do wonders for takeoff efficiency.

[freakazoid]

Yes.  150 people * 200 lbs/p = 30,000lbs.  A 10 pound difference per person is 1,500 pounds.  If we are more than 2,000 pounds over our planned weight, we have to get a recomputed flight release to account for the extra fuel burn, longer runway, etc.

Sounds to me like it should use that as  a base weight and every so many pounds over charge extra and so many less get a refund.

[Fly320s]

How much of that 70,000 pound payload is fuel?

No more than 42,000. Usually less.

[230RN]

Again, catapulting the heaviest passengers to a low cruising altitude could do wonders for takeoff efficiency.

   (I know you're kidding...)

I guess "yes" for takeoff efficiency*.  But it takes the same amount of energy to get them up there (at speed) to the now-flying plane.  Except the energy required is ground-sourced instead of plane-fuel-sourced.

And even once they're in the now-flying plane, they still add drag (greater angle of airfoil attack, hence requiring more fuel) while they're being carried to the destination.

There ain't no free lunch.  You've still got to wind up the catapult... which takes --you guessed it --energy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I3b2N73JCU

(That's an amazing piece of Lego design.)

In addition, considering some other factors involved  , I wonder how fatso's body would take the acceleration involved in getting him up to, say, 200-300 knots, in a fraction of a second.

Why, it would be more like spraying him up there.  

Terry, 230RN      

* And here, you mean "takeoff fuel consumption," not "efficiency."

REFs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_ain%27t_no_such_thing_as_a_free_lunch

http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/82635/catapult-vs-trebuchet
(In a trebuchet, as opposed to a catapult, you still have to lift up the counterweight somehow... which takes --you guessed it --energy.)

[Scout26]

Even if they did have built in scales (or the DOT type roll-on scales) that would only give you the weigh on the wheels, not the where that weight is and trying to ensure that you are in the flight envelope*, much less optimizing for furl economy.




*- which isn't an issue for most passenger aircraft. 

[KD5NRH]

There ain't no free lunch.  You've still got to wind up the catapult... which takes --you guessed it --energy:

Convict labor.  It's easily used for tasks like winding a catapult.  Not so easy to get them to pedal a jet engine up to a useful speed.

[Tallpine]

Even if they did have built in scales (or the DOT type roll-on scales) that would only give you the weigh on the wheels, not the where that weight is and trying to ensure that you are in the flight envelope*, much less optimizing for furl economy.




*- which isn't an issue for most passenger aircraft. 

Seems like the nose wheel weight as a percentage of the mains would be pretty useful for balance. 

It would be just like a bumper pull trailer where the tongue weight needs to 10-20% of total weight.

I realize the main wheels are not exactly the center of lift, but still you could come up with an equation for each aircraft type.

[AJ Dual]

In addition, considering some other factors involved  , I wonder how fatso's body would take the acceleration involved in getting him up to, say, 200-300 knots, in a fraction of a second.

Well, judging from a few rides at the State Fair midway that barely closed over my 6'-even 265 frame... you sort of flop around a lot... 

[MechAg94]

Convict labor.  It's easily used for tasks like winding a catapult.  Not so easy to get them to pedal a jet engine up to a useful speed.

How about fat people that want to lose weight to avoid being catapulted into the air and caught by a jet moving hundreds of miles an hour?  

[bedlamite]

How about fat people that want to lose weight to avoid being catapulted into the air? 

Trebuchet counterweight.

[birdman]

That's kinda pricy for a stiff.

I hate you all...almost as much as I hate autocorrect on iOS.