RAAus weight increase

[ave8rr]

I have heard from two sources here in Qld lately that there is a move again to have the RAAus MTOW raised to 680kg. Is this wishful thinking or is it being considered? We still have the same director at CASA and he stopped the last move in this area.

 

 

[facthunter]

I don't know whether he specifically stopped the weight increase or whether it just got caught up in the mayhem when everything got stopped. The CASA originally were FOR the weight increase to 762 Kgs. IF RAAus people ever aspire to build 2 seaters there is a need for a weight increase. Believe me. Nev

 

 

[pmccarthy]

The average person is getting a lot heavier. A lot of pilots and passengers will be precluded in future if we don't get a weight increase for two seaters.

 

 

[planesmaker]

Keep it light keep it simple! You want GA weight? Then expect GA regulation. Tom

 

 

[facthunter]

Heavier can be simpler Tom. You can use tried designs not compromise with parts that are undersized like undercarriages seats and have to use exotic materials to keep weight down and limit choice of engines..Nev

 

 

[metalman]

Keep it light keep it simple! You want GA weight? Then expect GA regulation. Tom

Not so sure about extra regs, VH exp is a lot less hassle than RAA, licence issues aside

Matty

 

 

[ave8rr]

The average person is getting a lot heavier. A lot of pilots and passengers will be precluded in future if we don't get a weight increase for two seaters.

One of my sources was from an instructor in NQld who said just that. Some potential students cannot be trained due being over a figure of around 80kgs. My brother in law is one of those people.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

There is an obvious, but less popular solution. Most of us would be a lot better off with less weight.

 

 

[Doug Evans]

If ya won't more weight go LSA or GA not RAA keep it light and below 80 knots anything above should not be classed as an ultralight "thats only my opion "

 

As it is your flat out finding ultralights in our RAA magazine most are LSA Craft we lost the plot in my opion

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Most obese people would dearly like to be otherwise. But there is no answer - if I knew one, I would be a millionaire and much slimmer. One slice of bread too much each day is 1 kg extra weight per year which is 40 kg extra over 40 years from your teenage starting weight. 95% of Jenny Craig clients revert to their starting weight and then some within two years. There are lots of 100-130 kg people flying RA but they can't fill their tanks or take their equally large mates flying.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I need my savannah to be 650kg,,,that would be just nice I could go flying with 100 litres on board with 20kg of baggage

 

 

[turboplanner]

So it's come from a North Queensland instructor? Any bells ringing?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

A certain lightwing flyer is not a instructor I am pretty sure

 

 

[coljones]

Perhaps everyone should contact their rep and ask (demand) a look at the the draft op and tech manuals BEFORE they get sent to CASA. It is all very well claiming CASA is the bogey man but the total lack of transparency is generated in RAA.

 

 

[Doug Evans]

A certain lightwing flyer is not a instructor I am pretty sure

yes Kyle if ya refering to me no I am not a instructor

 

 

[rankamateur]

I need my savannah to be 650kg,,,that would be just nice I could go flying with 100 litres on board with 20kg of baggage

The paint hasn't dried on your upgrade to 600Kg yet Mark

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

yes Kyle if ya refering to me no I am not a instructor

no doug......Maj

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

The paint hasn't dried on your upgrade to 600Kg yet Mark

Hey we all have a wish list steve

 

 

[503]

What's the problem with extra weight ,isn't a 172 a landomatic and easier

 

 

[Ignition]

Most obese people would dearly like to be otherwise. But there is no answer - if I knew one, I would be a millionaire and much slimmer. One slice of bread too much each day is 1 kg extra weight per year which is 40 kg extra over 40 years from your teenage starting weight. 95% of Jenny Craig clients revert to their starting weight and then some within two years. There are lots of 100-130 kg people flying RA but they can't fill their tanks or take their equally large mates flying.

Actually, the answer is quite simple, and you hit the nail on the head: Fad Diets (which quite frankly are a waste of money) generally don't help with education of nutrition and exercise, hence reverting to their 'old' ways and effectively their starting weight.

It is something that evidently the general public isn't being educated properly about - Calories in vs Calories out. If you consume more energy than you use, you put on weight. If you consume less than you use, you lose weight. A lot of people seem to go with the 'some people have medical conditions' excuse, which is generally just that, an excuse, because an extremely small percentage of the overweight population can genuinely claim it, even then, I know plenty of people who don't let a medical condition stop them from achieving a healthy lifestyle. Most people just don't understand the basics of nutrition and exercise and the dangers of being in an unhealthy weight range (too light, or too heavy).

 

If you determine how much you consume, relative to how much you use, you'll be able to work out if you need to eat less or exercise more (Someone who uses more energy in the day is going to require a higher energy intake than someone who doesn't do much). The average recommended daily intake of an adult is 8700kJ which is a good point to start from regardless of how active you are, and from that starting point can eventually be tailored specific to your activity levels. Its a legal requirement for nutritional values to be printed on most packaging, so if you have correct portion sizing and make a note of the energy contained in the portion (for example, a 250 gram Banana (including skin) contains approx 624kJ of energy in the edible portion of 165 grams - 1% from fat content, 91% from carbohydrate content and 8% from protein content.) Calorie counting is a simple way to determine if you are consuming more than you need, or not enough, assuming you are sticking to the appropriate portion sizes and being honest with yourself.

 

As for working out a healthy ideal weight, the rule of thumb I personally like to use is: For every 1 cm over 100cm of your height, equates to 1kg of what you should weigh. For example, the average Australian male is around 5'7" (175cm) tall, therefore the ideal weight would be 75kg. The average Australian female is around 5'4" (163cm) therefore the ideal weight would be 63kg. Some people like to use BMI, which is based on height vs weight, and doesn't take into account body composition, and for the average person, it is a good starting point.

 

I'm expecting my gym to have a heap of new comers in the first week or two of the new year, as always, and generally it is a small number of the people who are genuinely determined to educate themselves and put in the effort to change their lifestyles, potentially saving their lives. It would be great if more people had the knowledge and willpower to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but that comes down to the individual; personal trainers and nutritionists can give them the information they need, but its up to the individual to use that information.

 

Back to the topic of RAAus: As far as I am concerned, 600kg is fine, just means you can't take the kitchen sink with you. With a bit of planning and correct weight and balance, you can take all you need in most RAAus aircraft for a week long trip. The chances of any increase now with the RPL & 1500kg coming soon (again) would be very unlikely in my opinion.

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

The rumour of the weight increase is interesting for a lot of flyers that have to limit their fuel capacity to fly legal, hence safety decisions are sometimes abused.

 

Surely if a weight increase was on the cards, the aircraft manufacturers, kit or factory built would need to do their sums and redesign to comply.

 

I refer to Jab 230, that is 600 kg for LSA and 700 kg for GA. don't see a problem there.

 

Reading some of the posts above, there seems to be a two fold opinion. Some of us want a cruising aircraft opposed to a flip around the airfield on Sundays. Either one is up to the individual. Just flying for whatever reason is great!

 

Phil

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

No Maj is not an instructor, nor do I know anything at this stage about any additional weight increase in the works. I do have a draft copy of the new ops manual however, that is with CASA atm for their approval. I am of the opinion that the current weight increase thing is done and dusted, as far as CASA is concerned.

 

If I get time tomorrow I will look through the ops manual draft just to check, and get back to you on this post.

 

As far as Cols suggestion that all the members should get a look at drafts before they go to CASA ...well that simply would not be workable in the real world. We barely made the tight deadlines this time set by CASA. If you put the whole thing out to 10,000 or so members, then there would be 10,000 or so amendments to make...just not going to happen, and that's what your elected Board reps and tech people are there for anyway, to check and approve things on your behalf.

 

There has however, just before Xmas, been a major breakthrough in our operations allowed by CASA, which I know will make many of us happy, and has the potential to solve some of our problems of the past year, but it has nothing to do with weight increases.

 

Stay posted...I'm sure it'll appear on the RAAus website shortly............Maj.....

 

 

[jeffd]

One of my sources was from an instructor in NQld who said just that. Some potential students cannot be trained due being over a figure of around 80kgs. My brother in law is one of those people.

well im 94 and my instructor has me up there learning

 

 

[jeffd]

If ya won't more weight go LSA or GA not RAA keep it light and below 80 knots anything above should not be classed as an ultralight "thats only my opion "As it is your flat out finding ultralights in our RAA magazine most are LSA Craft we lost the plot in my opion

mayb ultralights will slowly become lsa only in the future ?

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

well im 94 and my instructor has me up there learning

Well I can guarantee you it wouldn't be the Lightwings having the lifting problems, more than likely the 80 HP powered Gazzelles, or the products out of Bundaberg....................Maj....