I decided it was time to make a round trip flight. Flying to PAWK (or PAKW) to KFF7 (Jack Hi's Cabin, Leon Louis scenery). Delivering Jack's monthly supplies of beans, fat back, beer and corn nuts (all the man eats). Once I had the plane unloaded, return to PAWK/PAKW.
Well, I took Brian Gladden's PA-22 Super Pacer into ACM and set up the payload sections (Weights). It originally only had one load position (Pilot)..now it has 6: Pilot, Co-Pilot, 2 Passenger/Cargo spots in the rear seat and 2 cargo spots behind the rear seat in the cargo hold. Total usable payload is 1100 pounds (should actually be 900 and some change). Pilot is 180 pounds, a full load of fuel (36 gallons) is 218 pounds....for a total of 400 pounds..leaving 700 pounds for Jack's supplies. I loaded up the beans, fat back, beer and corn nuts and took off into the Alaskan dawn. Weather was horrible (FSMetars pulling down real time weather).....heavy clouds, lightning, some fairly strong wings up around my 6000 feet cruising altitude.
Now for the lesson I learned: Make sure you balance your payload from side to side, front to back. Getting the plane to fly level was easy...some up trim and it would maintain 6000 feet with my hand of the joystick. But due to the fact that the left side of the plane was 180 pounds heavier than the right side of the plane...I could not keep a steady course heading for nothing. The plane would bank to the left and keep going to the left. I was forced to abort the flight, return to PAKW (PAWK, which ever it was) and will have to repack the plane before I head off again.
OBIO
Well, I took Brian Gladden's PA-22 Super Pacer into ACM and set up the payload sections (Weights). It originally only had one load position (Pilot)..now it has 6: Pilot, Co-Pilot, 2 Passenger/Cargo spots in the rear seat and 2 cargo spots behind the rear seat in the cargo hold. Total usable payload is 1100 pounds (should actually be 900 and some change). Pilot is 180 pounds, a full load of fuel (36 gallons) is 218 pounds....for a total of 400 pounds..leaving 700 pounds for Jack's supplies. I loaded up the beans, fat back, beer and corn nuts and took off into the Alaskan dawn. Weather was horrible (FSMetars pulling down real time weather).....heavy clouds, lightning, some fairly strong wings up around my 6000 feet cruising altitude.
Now for the lesson I learned: Make sure you balance your payload from side to side, front to back. Getting the plane to fly level was easy...some up trim and it would maintain 6000 feet with my hand of the joystick. But due to the fact that the left side of the plane was 180 pounds heavier than the right side of the plane...I could not keep a steady course heading for nothing. The plane would bank to the left and keep going to the left. I was forced to abort the flight, return to PAKW (PAWK, which ever it was) and will have to repack the plane before I head off again.
OBIO