What legal load can your Taifun carry?

Abstract:  The empty weight of G-OACE is 656.8 kg, so load is 163.3 kg - just 360 lbs! Is my aircraft exceptionally heavy, or just normal?

In Taifun17E@yahoogroups.com, "taildragger_uk" <drpiercy@...> wrote:

 Hi everyone,

 I own Taifun G-OACE in UK, serial no 1017, one of the early ones!

A question,- what legal load can your Taifun carry?  The empty weight of G-OACE is 656.8 kg, so load is 163.3 kg - just 360 lbs!  Is my aircraft exceptionally heavy, or just normal?  Can everyone trust the weighings they have?  (I've heard of some tricks on other planes!)

 G-OACE has the 87hp Limbach with a Muhlbauer propeller.  (Which I usually don't bother to feather when I'm soaring.)

 How much soaring and how much "going" does everyone do?

  Dave Piercy

Dorset, UK

Subject: Re: Taifun 17E load

From: "Finbar Sheehy" <finbarsheehy@

Date: 10/4/06 10:55 AM

To: Taifun17E@yahoogroups.com

My current W&B shows a useful load of about 420 lbs, with an empty weight of around 1380 lbs, or 626kg.  However, that's with the smaller engine (80hp) and the 3-position manual prop, which look like they must be about 25-35 lbs lighter than your configuration.  Also, there are no gyros, 1 radio, 1 xpdr, no O2 system in there.  If you have those in, they might account for another 3 - 15 lbs (depending mostly on the size of the O2 tank).  Assume, say, 40 lbs of extra weight you may have in there, and that would leave 20 lbs unaccounted for, i.e. as true "extra weight."  Possibly a heavier layup in the earlier units?

It does look like these aircraft came out of the factory a tad heavier than spec.

Subject: Re: Taifun 17E load
From: "taildragger_uk" <drpiercy@
Date: 10/4/06 1:26 PM
To: Taifun17E@yahoogroups.com

No, can't blame Valentin for all of this. The notes in the continuing airworthiness book put the empty weight in 1984 as 1369 lbs. It apparently gained 31lbs!!! in August 1984, I think in a repair!!!!, and subsequently gained another 42 lbs in 1987, apparently when the engine and propeller were changed ( to the EB2400 + electric prop.). In 1988 I think it was loaded up with lots of instrumentation, and the weight increased to 1476 lbs. This must have been stripped out by 1992, for the weight then decreased to 1450 lbs. I've taken out what I can, but there's still an A/H and T&S, and the weight is 1448 lbs. Any ideas on reducing weight any further?

Incidentally, there are notes in the continuing airworthiness book regarding flight in the Himalayas, including take off at 4000 metres altitude and climb to 6000 metres altitude! (on that engine?), but I can't see anything in the flight history to indicate that this one actually went to the Himalayas. But why was all the instrumentation put in?

Dave

Subject: Re: Taifun 17E load
From: "Finbar Sheehy" <finbarsheehy@
Date: 10/4/06 8:23 PM
To: Taifun17E@yahoogroups.com

Sounds like the one in the "Joyful Taifun" photo - which is shown also on the web site http://www.powerglidertaifun.de/

According to that web site, the photo was taken at 7000m and the Taifun was carrying 41kg of "stuff."
Interestingly, there appear to be 2 people on board as well!

Subject: RE: [Taifun17E] Re: Taifun 17E load
From: "Dave Piercy" <drpiercy@
Date: 10/7/06 12:03 PM
To: "Finbar Sheehy" <taifun17e@yahoogroups.com>

Sorry Finbar, can't find the photo, can you let me know exactly whereto find it?

Dave

Subject: Re: Taifun 17E load
From: "Finbar Sheehy" <finbarsheehy@
Date: 10/7/06 10:05 PM
To: Taifun17E@yahoogroups.com

It was the featured photo on that web site, but now the photo has changed. However, it's posted on this group, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Taifun17E/spnew/view/9c5e?i=10 and there's another shot from a different angle at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Taifun17E/spnew/view/9c5e?i=11