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Thread: L-16B & No-Bounce Gear - LSA?

  1. #1
    Sluggo's Avatar
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    L-16B & No-Bounce Gear - LSA?

    Folks,

    I'm selling my L-16B. It has no-bounce gear.

    I have some questions that maybe y'all can answer:

    I see in information sheets from 1950 that the max gross weight for the L-16B is 1300 lbs. I've read where that increases to 1350 lbs with no-bounce gear. LSA limit is 1320 lbs. Does this mean that an L-16B with no-bounce gear is not LSA-eligible? I see the L-16B listed in the FAA LSA list, no mention of any no-bounce gear exclusion. Can I just amend the Weight-and-Balance to a Max GW of 1320 and be LSA-eligible that way? Or is this even necessary, since the FAA LSA listed L-16B makes no mention of gear type?

    I've had one interested person ask about a logbook entry for the installation of no-bounce gear, with the annotation of the GW increase to 1350 lbs. I've never heard of this requirement. Further, I can't find any such listing anywhere in my records. I have some logbooks from the CAP service days of my L-16, but nothing about no-bounce gear. For all I know the plane was delivered to the Army in 1948 with no-bounce gear. Anyone know anything about a logbook entry for no-bounce gear?

    Thanks in advance.

    PS Here's a link to my plane:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/L2FKAx4uAWYrjdYu9
    https://www.barnstormers.com/classified ... L-16B.html
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  2. #2
    DaleB's Avatar
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    Ah, yes... my favorite illustration of how silly the LSA rules can be. At one time I was looking at buying a Champ, and looked at a lot of log books. I saw at least one or two that had the no-bounce gear installed, but no gross weight increase.

    So let's say you find two imaginary Champs, with sequential serial numbers. They are identical in every respect. Both had the no-bounce gear field installed in the 1950s. One is legal for LSA, the other is not. Why? Because one has the gross weight increase to 1350 noted in the log book, the other doesn't. Now let's further imagine they both subsequently had the no-bounce gear REMOVED, and the original style gear re-installed, so both are back to their factory built configuration at 1300# gross weight. The one is STILL not legal for a Sport Pilot to fly, because -- in the 1950s -- someone made a single log entry that was subsequently reversed.

    In your case, what does the documentation say? Somewhere there has to be a maximum gross weight listed. What is it? If it's 1320 pounds or below, then it's legal for someone flying under Sport Pilot rules to fly. If it's 1321 or higher, then it's not. Yours appears to have never been 7AC, it was built as a 7CCM. Here's what the type certificate has to say for the 7CCM:

    "Maximum Weight 1300 lb. May be increased to 1350 lb. when "Long Stroke Oleo Landing Gear", Aeronca P/N 3-665, installed and placard, "Intentional spinning prohibited when baggage carried", Aeronca P/N 1-2929, installed on instrument panel. "

    "Serial Nos. Eligible 7CCM-1 and up. Military S/N AAF 47-788 thru AAF 47-1296 eligible as 7BCM. Military S/N AAF 48-424 thru AAF 48-524 eligible as 7CCM. The nameplate in the airplane must be stamped with the proper model designation. S/N 47-788 thru 47-1296 eligible as 7CCM if converted in accordance with Aeronca Service Letter No. 15."

    So... I think you'll need to dig through the documentation and find out whether the gross weight is 1300, or is (or has ever been) 1350. In your case, I didn't see a placard prohibiting spins with baggage. So either it's got a 1300# gross weight, or the placard is missing and needs to be installed per the TCDS. I think (and I'm not an expert, just a guy who's done a lot of reading on the subject) you will need to go through the airframe log books and see if there was ever a gross weight increase documented. If not, I'd say it's 1300#.
    Last edited by DaleB; 12-21-2020 at 08:31 AM.
    Measure twice, cut once...
    scratch head, shrug, shim to fit.

    Flying an RV-12. I am building a Fisher Celebrity, slowly.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by DaleB View Post
    I think (and I'm not an expert, just a guy who's done a lot of reading on the subject) you will need to go through the airframe log books and see if there was ever a gross weight increase documented. If not, I'd say it's 1300#.
    I'd be tempted to pull the FAA records on the airplane to see if those document a gross weight increase. If you can't find it there, it didn't happen.

  4. #4
    DaleB's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kyle Boatright View Post
    I'd be tempted to pull the FAA records on the airplane to see if those document a gross weight increase. If you can't find it there, it didn't happen.
    Also my thought. Last time I did it, it was ten bucks for a CD with everything they had on file.
    Measure twice, cut once...
    scratch head, shrug, shim to fit.

    Flying an RV-12. I am building a Fisher Celebrity, slowly.

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