Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

1 Answers

Mountain Flying – Limit to 90% of Max Gross Weight?

Asked by: 2314 views Aerodynamics, General Aviation

Hello,

I've read several instances where it has been advised to limit aircraft loading to 90% of max gross when flying in the mountains. Does this "conventional wisdom" apply in the case of a TURBOCHARGED aircraft? Obviously the turbo will allow the engine to develop sea-level power at a high-altitude takeoff BUT I also realize the prop and wings are not nearly as efficient. Curious for people's thoughts on this topic!

Thanks

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

1 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Aug 31, 2017

    I think you’ve answered your own question. The weight reduction will result in some improvement in performance in a turbo, but not as much as in a normally aspirated piston airplane.

    If you look at your performance tables, reduced weight always gives a performance boost. A piston at high D-alt is typically operating near its performance limits, particularly for takeoff and climbs. The 90% recommendation is a way to increase those margins. turbos will typically have larger margins to begin with.

    So, it’s a judgment call. Personally, I follow the 90% rule even in a turbo. I’ve found too many pilots who think a turbo solves all D-alt issues. I prefer to err on the side of caution.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.