[NSRCA-discussion] Airplane Weight

[Atwood, Mark]

Ron,

The intent of the rule is as you describe…to allow for inconsistencies in measuring equipment.  ALL measuring equipment, not just that on site.  So if MY scale at home is off… and I weigh 4999gms, I don’t travel 6000 miles to Switzerland to be “accurately” measured at 5025 and disqualified.     The weight rule is 5000gms.  Tolerance is 50gms (1%).  Period.   So 5050 becomes an Absolute.

If you show up KNOWING you’re over 5000…then you’re taking your chances in a big way.   So if you weigh 5049 at home… not a good plan.


MARK ATWOOD
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On Jan 27, 2017, at 4:57 PM, Ronald Van Putte via NSRCA-discussion <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org<mailto:nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>> wrote:

Something has been nagging me since the 2011 F3A World Championships.  The decision was made, over the objections of the official weighers (John Fuqua and me), that airplanes would be allowed to weigh 1% more than the listed maximum weight of 50000gm, or 50gm.

The argument was that it “allowed for possible inconsistencies in measuring equipment”.  We objected because we had purchased calibration weights and had them verified by the Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory on Eglin AFB (at the cost of a sixpack of beer per set of calibration weights).  That meant we knew exactly what the airplanes weighed.

Now to the current situation.  Currently, AMA classes have a 1% weight tolerance, or 50gm.  Suppose a contestant’s model actually weighs 5050gm, but the weighing equipment is in error by 25 grams.  So the scales would measure the contestant’s airplane at 5075gm.  Remember that the 15 allowance is for "possible inconsistencies in measuring equipment”.  The contestant’s airplane is “too heavy”.

Something to think about.

Ron Van Putte
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