Weight Limits

Helicopter Weight Limits

Actually all aircraft have weight limits. Aircraft are not like road vehicles where you can put anything in them you want with the only risk being blown tires. An aircraft simply will not fly safely if certain weight limitations are exceeded. Not only is it a safety issue, but it is a legal matter as well. It is against the law to fly an aircraft which is over the maximum rated weight limits. These weight limits are much more significant in smaller aircraft. Remember the Beech 1900 that crashed in Charlotte North Carolina on January 8, 2003 killing all 21 people on board. That crash was the result of improper weight and balance. In heavy commercial jets, although weight and balance are still worked, it is not known to the average person.

When an aircraft is certified, an FAA standard passenger weight is used. This standard passenger weight is 170 pounds. Although 170 pounds may have been an accurate average weight several decades ago, we all know it is no longer true today. However this is still the way standard calculations are made, and this is true when light aircraft are manufactured. To often people are of the opinion that just because an aircraft has 4 seats available, anyone can occupy those seats.

The Jet Ranger has five seats available of which one of our pilots will occupy, and he weighs 185 pounds. Our maximum fuel is 643 pounds of which 57 pounds must be a reserve which leaves 586 pounds to do a job that will not exceed 3 hours and 26 minutes. This aircraft will burn 170 pounds of fuel per hour and that cannot be changed. If our aircraft has a maximum gross weight of 3200 pounds, and weighs 1980 pounds empty (no fuel), and our pilot weighs 185 pounds, this leaves 1,035 pounds available for work. Of this remaining 1,035 pounds, we must now decide how much of it will be fuel, and how much will be passengers or cargo. If we will take four 170 pound passengers (680 pounds total weight), then we can carry 355 pounds fuel of which only 298 pounds (1 hour and 45 minutes of actual flight time) may be used for the job at hand. So you see our dilemma, we must choose between fuel and load because at Barnett Aviation we are simply not willing to sacrifice safety for any reason.

With regard to these weight and balance limitations, some pilots and/or operators are willing to accept an increased level of risk for the money, and they will often over-gross their aircraft, as well as pull its guts out for your dollar. What amazes me even more is the fact that when people requesting flights are made aware of these facts, often they are still willing to risk safety for what ever reason it is that they are requesting an aircraft.

At Barnett Aviation we will not give into pressures, safety comes first every time.