ETLB Squawk Forums — Archive

What's the maximum takeoff weight someone has made a max loft into the air?  I'm curious how far people have pushed it, potentially beyond the limit of what is specified.  Mostly to sate my curiosity about how strong the airframe really is.

My Rotax 277 Mini Max with 5 gallons of gas and a pilot at close to 200 lbs. is probably at 500 to 510 lbs. take off weight

My Airbike weighed 305 lbs or so.  I was about 215 back then.  Add 45 lbs for gas, 30 lbs of luggage/camping gear and that puts it up to just over 600 lbs.

These are good numbers =)

I think I had my gross to 640 at one time. 390 empty, 220 pilot. plus 10 gas

You're in a himax, right?

Yeah sorry I just realized this is for the 1030/1100.....

I know of a 1600R that flies with over 18 gallons on board and it flies well on a 447 with a very special 60 x 42 prop. That will be above 660 Lbs.

What's the structural difference between a 1600R and a 1030/1100 other than the wings being made differently and the hollow vs solid leading edge of the horizontal stab?

The 1100R can have a MTOW of nearly 650 lbs and meet the normal category load factor of 3.8.

Oh that is really good to hear.  Thank you!

With that much weight the wing loading would be close to 6PSF and the stall speed by my judgement above 40mph. In this situation the flap feature should be availed to keep the landing speed low.

That leads me to my next question.  What does the minimax do when its close to its limits?  Does it give any kind of sign that you're stressing it too much before it suddenly snaps and fails?  Will it flex, flutter, groan, move, anything like that?

Mostly just to alleviate my worries of things to keep an eye out for..

Quoted from ITman496 That leads me to my next question.  What does the minimax do when its close to its limits?  Does it give any kind of sign that you're stressing it too much before it suddenly snaps and fails?  Will it flex, flutter, groan, move, anything like that?

My Eros always flew at 660lbs - maybe a little more. In my early days of exploring the flight envelope I dived it to 100mph (Vne 110mph).

Neither then, nor in any other speed or attitude that I flew it in, did it ever make any sound or give any indication of anything other than a stiff, solid little aeroplane. (Unlike an ASK 13 sailplane I used to fly that would rattle & bang in thermals, or an early hanglider whose flapping sail trailing edge would suddenly go quiet as one approached the stall).

So I guess if it is going to fail because you overstressed it, it's going to happen quickly. Flutter can certainly develop within a few oscillations, almost 'instantaneously'. Safer to build well, inspect carefully before every flight, and fly within the flight envelope & your own limitations.

Don't overthink it!

Bruce

Just remember that the landing gear will be less forgiving, and when landing, try to fly it on with power, as mine was heavy like that and needed power while landing to keep the sink rate low.

The preflight is very important. It is easy to rush through it cause you want to fly right now. I once had a broken exhaust spring and the safety wire held but it could have become serious.These are simple airplanes but deserve every respect.

Oh I know I need to make sure I have a list to follow, I'll probably have it on my screen before it lets me fire the plane up.  I was guilty of doing an engine test run with only the fuel in the lines because I was so excited, I forgot to bring the tank of gas over and plug it in..

Also, good note with the gear..  Define forgiving. Do you mean not much in the way of cushioning, or like, will collapse very easily?

A little of Both, I guess, Realize, that the only cushion is the tire pressure at 8 to 10 psi. An extreme landing hard enough to pop a tire may break the gear legs, of which they are designed to do. The aircraft from what I understand is designed to sacrifice itself rather than break the pilot, although there have been fatalities and injuries.

Fly it on with power, and you should be ok. Sink rate with no power is quite high.

Quoted from PUFF The aircraft from what I understand is designed to sacrifice itself rather than break the pilot, although there have been fatalities and injuries.

In 2004 I had a landing accident where I opened my full canopy on climb out from a long grass runway. I stalled-in because I was too fearful of spearing-in [long story]. The aircraft seemed to have been in something like a level attitude at 'arrival'.

The approach energy and 'force vector' at arrival was such that the axle of the undercarriage decended beneath the grass runway and travelled forward a few feet UNDER the grass, neatly cutting turf from the runway.

Seems unbelievable but it's true. I saw it after I came out of hospital.

The MiniMax will look after you. One of the main reasons I still fly one.

Glad to hear I picked the right airplane, guys.  Thank you!