Piper Seneca MTOW change

As I understand its just an amendment to the POH. The change is paperwork only nothing actually changes on the aircraft .( and inform your insurance company)

So you're a commercial operator? Otherwise you probably wouldn't consider doing this

The 1999kg modification is an STC. You have to un-apply the STC (which I think is a mere entry in the logbook) and then submit the paperwork to update your airworthiness certificate.

The reduction from (whatever - 2200kg?) to 1999kg is just a purchase of a section of the flight manual - a few hundred $ or €.

That suggests that going back is just the same; in fact whoever got the 1999kg STC should still have the old pages and if they go back in, job done.

I thought that (if N-reg) you will need to send the 337 with the STC to the FAA (AFS-750 address, for filing), just like the 1999kg STC would have been done, so the certification authority knows the correct current MTOW. But that is probably wrong, because the original weight is certificated under the factory Type Certificate and anything on a factory TC is not a "modification"; it can be applied with just a logbook entry.

So I would contact whoever owned the plane when the 1999kg STC was applied, and try to obtain those pages.

The man who originally developed that 1999kg STC was Charles Strasser, I believe.

The other thing is that, here in the UK anyway, there are (reportedly) G-reg Senecas flying charters i.e. AOC ops. Obviously, the already poor ability of a Seneca to carry six modern-sized adults plus gold clubs is made even worse by an MTOW reduction to 1999kg, but I am told that the Eurocontrol fee saving makes the payload reduction worth having.

I have just got this from Charles Strasser, and got his permission to post it here:

It is true that I was the originator of getting Senecas capable of being registered at 1,999 Kg i.e. under the 2 tonnes to exempt them from Eurocontrol charges and savings on some landing fees. At that time I was still on the British register as G-PLUS (now N37US).
It took me nearly a year and a fee of GBP800 to the CAA for a "major modification". I had to convince Piper to provide a duly amended Handbook and the other requirement was new placards for changed speeds like the manoeuvring one. Once I had achieved this anyone else could and still can take advantage of this and indeed Piper now list a "kit" at about US$250 (may be more now) which contains the amended handbook some placards to stick on the panel and a modified plastic weight and balance calculator. Of course the user must still get the registration authority to amend the weight shown in their published records. When I changed from the G to the N register the 1,999 Kg was automatically transferred.
How the thing works in reverse I don't know. Have never come across anyone who would want to do that. I got my GBP 800 back quite quickly in having left the Eurocontrol club and thereafter saved that amount many times over. I guess I must also have saved all other European Seneca owners tens of thousands of pounds too.

I fly for an airline that updates the MTOW by the flight, you just put the lowest MTOW that you can get away with into the EFB loadsheet and change the placard with a screwdriver………Simples ! As Alexander Orlov would say.

It is a very old thread, but in case somebody is interesed:
reversing to original MTOW requires only removal of all placards in the plane, removal of the chapter from your manual and making an entry in the logbook about this change – can be made by the owner.
That is all.

Raven wrote:

That is all.

Plus obviously the paperwork, insurance and in Germany changing the registration…

Luckily not in PL.
We don’t have MTOW mentioned in registration certificate, ARC nor any gov. doc.
Insurance doesn’t ask either. Just the aircraft type, owner, users etc..