Minimum Weight in the 300 Series

[Copter Queen]

Does anyone know if the Schweizer 300 Series has a minimum weight requirement for flight before the pilot would need to have weight added?  I have heard that the R22 has a 150 lb requirement.  I have not been able to find this in any of my Schweizer  books.

 

I am 145 lbs.  And, out of curiosity, how and what is the weight added with?

 

Hope someone can  answer this.  

 

Thanks.  ???

[delorean]

130 lbs for old R22s

135 lbs for R22s w/ aux tank

150 lbs for the R44

170 lbs for the 206B & 206L.

 

I don't think there's one for the 300 series--if there is, it would be in the limitations section of the POH.  I'm about 135 lbs.  When I was doing my instrument in the 300Cbi I'd run into lateral CG problems if I had a heavy CFII on the left side.  The single tank sits on that side too.  It wouldn't be out of the envelope, just uncomfortable to fly.  I would put the cargo rack on my side and bungee a 50 lb ballast to it.  It would put some weight and drag on the lighter side.  Yaw problems would go away and the ship would fly level.

 

If I was solo in the R44, I'd remove the pedals and place the bag way up in the nose.  Otherwise, if I was solo with a lot of fuel, I could never get above about 110 kts.  The R44 fuselage is designed produce lift in high speed flight at a normal attitude.  With this extra lift, the rotor is free to generate some extra speed.  With a real nose high attitude the belly produces drag, the rotor has to generate all of the lift, which means less power for speed.

 

Make yourself up a ballast bag.  Go to a army surplus store or CheaperThanDirt.com and buy a standard issue Army tool bag.  Then get one or two 25 lb bags of lead shot from the local ammo reloading shop.  They fit perfectly in the canvas tool bag and won't spill lead if you scuff it.  Then just toss it on the seat next to you and run the shoulder straps through the carry handles to keep it secure.

 

-Jonathan

[flingwing206]

While there is no minimum pilot weight limitation for the 300CB/CBi, the CG envelope is in the limitations section.

 

For the "average" single-tank CB, minimum full-fuel solo pilot weight would be 90 - 110 lbs (depending on the installed equipment, doors & ground-handling wheels on/off, etc). At this pilot weight you would be at aft CG with full fuel.

 

What you would notice most would be RRPM in an auto. Last time I flew our CBi solo with about 15 gal fuel (me=155 lb), I got mid-green RRPM at 60 kt. Not dangerous, just noticable.

 

Hope this helps!