Ask them to choose a range of 20kg weights 50-70, 70-90, 90-110 then pick the upper side, if the number differs from your perception, they are either lying or your are completely wrong?
I don’t think 20kg error will make that much difference on W&B unless you are one of those who think a 4 seat aircraft can be full of pax for more than 2h flight with people you don’t know very well ;)
Apparently the court case is very interesting with the defence lawyer running rings around the CAA.
A_and_C wrote:
Apparently the court case is very interesting with the defence lawyer running rings around the CAA.
How is that possible? This is as clear-cut a case of negligence as I ever saw!
It is probably easy to run rings around the CAA these days. To prosecute somebody you need a good knowledge of the regs, for a start 
I use the Gyronimo app on my iPad where possible to make W&B calculations. It takes just a few minutes to do. I don’t send the results to myself but make a quick screenshot of the setup.
I remember a discussion with some Piper Jetprop DLX pilots a time ago. Their beautiful turbine aircraft have a formal W&B that basically allows only a crew of 2 with no pax to fly the aircraft with full fuel. Adding passengers would bring the W&B outside of the envelope. So, they said that they all fly overweight. I asked what they would do when ramp checked and the answer was that they were the captain and had the legal authority to depart overweight and so this was no problem for them. I had always wondered for how long they would get away with this or if this was truly the case …
While the case is running I think it best to say no more but I think the defence lawyer is playing a very clever game and the defendant is likely to escape very lightly because of this.
For me the lesson is clear, get the defence lawyers phone number in case I ever get into any trouble.
“the answer was that they were the captain and had the legal authority to depart overweight… I had always wondered for how long they would get away with this or if this was truly the case …”
If they can find someone high in the ranks and very technical in their organisation who can update and sign lot of sections in their operating mannual (not just W&B) ? Then they need to get that reviewed and approved by someone highly technical and indepependent from their NAA…
But yes, telling the “load master” on the apron that you can do anything as a “captain” may do it for a one-off (if you are happy to take that responsability and have some “good reasons” other than being captain !)
I took a picture once in Africa of the luggage that a few astrophotographers had brought with them as they were delivered to my aircraft for a flight from Nelspruit to the Karoo Desert. Go figure the W&B for the Cessna 206! Suitcases filled with equipment, counterweights, etc. I had them reorganise of course and left most of my own stuff behind and quite some luggage from these guys :-)
It has been reported to me that the pilot of G-BAKH has been found guilty on all counts by the court and is to be sentenced in mid March, the judge told him to prepare for a substantial prison sentence.
So the defence lawyer wasn’t so clever after all…
