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cliffo
02-06-2016, 08:05 PM
After getting my sprint the way I want it the weight is like 45 lbs over. Instruments,ballistic chute,steerable nose wheel, beacon lighting, and I would like a harness also. What I wanted to ask was does anyone have any experience with flying one of these 50lbs.over gross. Now I know I'm going to get umpteen folks telling me all the negatories of flying it heavy, so if it's my mommies advice, please refrain. If I'm having this problem with weight, there are most likely a few other people with the same circumstance. Folks flying floats, electric start,and other add ons must be out there with some helpful advice. I've already added wing fences and got my c.g. figured so I'm good to go there, any positive hints would be appreciated.

VFR-on-top
02-06-2016, 09:10 PM
A positive spin on overweight aircraft requires lying. I'll yield the floor to someone else.

cliffo
02-07-2016, 04:53 AM
Yes VFR I agree you would be lying.Quicksilvers are a well designed craft that has a basic frame that can be modified to accept more weight. If you knew what I said in the thread you would "maybe" understand this but you show your true ignorance with your snide comment.

1600vw
02-07-2016, 05:43 AM
My quicksilver had a 377 rotax. It looked like an ultralight making par 103. But if you weighed it, it too was over weight. Once they started putting twins on these, the 103 weight limit went out the window. The BRS does give you some wiggle room. I do know some who took everything out of the BRS and installed the empty tube for the weight allowance. At 270-300 lbs these things fly just fine. No one will be the wiser that it is a few pounds over. They all are. A properly built quicksilver with all the latest upgrades, you do not need the BRS. These do not just fall out of the sky. When the engine goes quiet just glide down to a landing. I had many many engine outs in my quicksilver. I had no BRS. Be ready or prepared for when it happens and all will be fine.

martymayes
02-07-2016, 07:45 AM
Quicksilvers are a well designed craft that has a basic frame that can be modified to accept more weight.

I see you are confident it is a well designed craft - do you have any data on what kind of safety margins the craft was designed with?
While any airframe can be modified to accept more weight, I'd be curious to see "how much" could be safely added, with "safely" being defined as still having comfortable margins between normal loads and ultimate load limits.

cliffo
02-07-2016, 08:32 AM
The basic design is produced with the same size tubing and is also adapted to flying a passenger with a wider spacing on the bottom tubing,which seems to me would be stronger in it's single seat design. With the wing fences on 20% more lifting capacity is supposedly attained with full aileron wings. With over a reported 10,000 of these sold in the world since the early 80's if there were some major malfunctions with them it would have been well spread with our communication networks today. The owners manual has a very good schedule of maintenance to follow for airframe as well as engine. I didn't start this thread to educate people about an airvehicle that they can very easily look up the answers them selves. I am asking knowledgeable people what kind of experiences and tips they may have in a quest for a better handling air craft. I'm not trying to be rude Marty but you have no relevance to my thread.

Dana
02-07-2016, 12:42 PM
Legal issues (i.e. Part 103 weight limit) aside, I'd wager 90+% of Quicksilvers are flying overweight with no problems.

VFR-on-top
02-07-2016, 08:56 PM
Quicksilvers are a well designed craft that has a basic frame that can be modified to accept more weight.

Most newbies to part 103 are likely blind to the word "modified".

I just don't care to see posters who flout the FAA rules in public forums thereby putting at risk our privilege to fly part 103.

Then there's the actual safety thing -- we really don't want new flyers to part 103 to think overweight 103s are safe. These pilots are not likely to understand things like "safe manuervering speed" and when their wings fold after hitting a gust at WFO, they're dead.

This isn't your Facebook home page. There's consequences to what you post. Good day.

cliffo
02-08-2016, 05:24 AM
If you are a newbie to part 103 you should listen and not talk. In my first entry you will see that my ballistic chute will make my weight just fine on my craft, I am concerned with gross which 103 has no stipulation. I have trouble fitting my 265 lbs.into some vehicles. Modifications are available from the factory,wing fences,which solved my lift capacity,they add 1 1/4 lbs. to total weight. Most pilots learn the Va of an aircraft or vehicle when studying the manual. Now I don't know who or whom, we is but you are under estimating the average guys will to life if you think hes going to ignore basic laws of nature. Yes there are consequences to posting things on a public form, good day to you sir.

VFR-on-top
02-08-2016, 10:57 PM
Most pilots learn the Va of an aircraft or vehicle when studying the manual.

I agree. But we're talking part 103. A number of these pilots won't be cracking open a manual, and that's my concern. I don't want part 103 to go away during my lifetime. We can move on.

airporthound
02-12-2016, 07:33 AM
Many hours flying with Sprints on floats. Typical of flying heavier but no adverse effects that I was able to detect. Does handle turbulance a bit better as the weight increases the stability. Longer take off, quicker decent....the same as any other flying machine. The wings were tested to 3200 lbs. The wing fences will make the plane "feel" like the wings have more surface as the fences increase the wings efficiency. The open end of the wing by design allow the high pressere to "escape" to the low pressure side of the wing. The fences reduce this exchange.

cliffo
02-14-2016, 05:51 PM
Thank you Hound, this is the kind of information I was seeking about the quicksilver. I talked to some guys from Minnesota who fly floats and they basicly said the same thing, I was also told the ailerons were a little more responsive with the fences.As the weather has been below freezing after I installed mine I haven't used them yet. I'm currently refinishing the prop and getting the reduction pulleys aligned as they were about a sixteenth off and wearing on one side of the bottom pulley just enough to take some of the black annealing off. So, according to gross weight the wings were tested to 6gs. which is quite alot for our little flying lawn chair. Thanks again for the info! regards Cliffo