New FAA weights= Pain for the 50 seat community.

I remember the days in the Saab where all W/B was done with a whiz-wheel and paper, FA would bring up a manual passenger count and usually the discussion would be "so I need you to find me two or three kids- do we have those on board?" And somehow, they'd appear! However with today's ACARS and the gate sending the exact numbers, I doubt this trick works anymore.
 
sorrygottarunway said:
I remember the days in the Saab where all W/B was done with a whiz-wheel and paper, FA would bring up a manual passenger count and usually the discussion would be "so I need you to find me two or three kids- do we have those on board?" And somehow, they'd appear! However with today's ACARS and the gate sending the exact numbers, I doubt this trick works anymore.
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Then there was that Colgan FO who ratted on his CA straight to the FAA enforcement administrator after the CA did some fudging to get a jumpseater on a Saab340.

CA had his ATP revoked. FO was going to be fired apparently and decided to take down someone with him.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Then there was that Colgan FO who ratted on his CA straight to the FAA enforcement administrator after the CA did some fudging to get a jumpseater on a Saab340.

CA had his ATP revoked. FO was going to be fired apparently and decided to take down someone with him.
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There were many shenanigans back then! Even a captain that had his brother in the jumpseat for a LGA-ITH, posing as a piedmont pilot!
 
Skåning said:
The best was back in the day when you'd radio ops with your out and in times, "out ten early, in ten late!" Cha-ching!
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Amazing to me what pilots will do to make a few extra bucks and pennies.

I had a VX FO *refuse* to load the final numbers and do closeout unless I released the parking brake because, and I quote, “I don’t work for free.”

That made for an interesting conversation.
 
Those were good money making days. I mean sorta, we didnt make much but it felt like a lot when you did it. After 7-12 legs it bought lunch and dinner.
 
Max Power said:
So at C5, our pax weights now are 204 lbs. summer and 208 winter with our 145 fleet. In the two days I dealt with this on my last trip when it enacted, I was up against MZFW for most of the legs except a few where we were really light. This was with decent weather and no alternate. Weather and distant alternates will hurt now, even worse in winter.

Any other 50 seat drivers dealing with a large of an increase as we are? We went from 184/189 pax weights in summer/winter. Bags are up only a few pounds ( 33 checked, 22 planeside), but infants now weigh 21 pounds. Kids now credit at 133 pounds, Inexplicably, heavy bags drop to 57 pounds from 60. It’s all little increases that end up making a huge difference in how it all comes together.

I don’t see it boding well for the 50 seat down the road. Booking to 50 (or overselling )and then only being able to take 45 or less will get old really quick to customers and airlines. Especially during the “covid hangover” of less flights with less seat being available period. I know pax weights have gone up in the past, but what we have now seems to be a steep penalty on the smaller aircraft many of us fly.
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The whole industry was forced to this change, not just regionals. It's a problem for ULCC's in their high density configurations as well.

The only way around using the new passenger weights is by providing the FAA with passenger weight survey data, and enough data points to show that there is very little variance from your average.
 
I think this is probably the same thing that put the 19 seaters in the red after the CLT accident.

A 20# hike per person is dropping the hammer pretty hard. I understand the Feds will let you out of it if you use actual weights. Everyone hop on the Hobart on the way to the airplane!
 
Derg said:
I guess the FO’s “Dual Cross Country” didn’t go well, did it? :)
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Let me tell you a story…Teachers Convention weekend in MSP so flights were nearly impossible to get on going to MSP. Had the great idea of taking a UA redeye to ORD and then taking the first DL flight to MSP. Missed that by 1 person so I figured I would hop around to get back to MSP. Wide open Eagle flight to CWA and there was a DL RJ connecting to MSP an hour and a half later. CWA fogged in as we were on the way from ORD,air returned back for gas. Launched back into CWA and the little carry on bag elevator wasn’t working so I literally got my bag and walked to the gate next door to see the MSP flight door close and push. Rented a car for $30 and took a scenic 3 hour drive to MSP. [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Derg said:
I’ve only been on a 145 once. Sitting in the back, turbulent as hell, mORDor to GRR. Hot. Felt like a tube of demise!
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It is. I’ve always hated the plane as a passenger, I still do. I’ve made my peace with it as a pilot. Many things about it speak of its cobbled together from Brasília nature. But it pays the bills for now.
 
sorrygottarunway said:
I remember the days in the Saab where all W/B was done with a whiz-wheel and paper, FA would bring up a manual passenger count and usually the discussion would be "so I need you to find me two or three kids- do we have those on board?" And somehow, they'd appear! However with today's ACARS and the gate sending the exact numbers, I doubt this trick works anymore.
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We were whiz wheel/paper only until about 3 years ago, even with the 145. Using ACARs only for W&B was a revelation! No more writing and sweating and math and sweating and aww F@&)% the damn wheel slipped and….
 
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