W & B question

[Flying-Corporal]

Can you takeoff knowing that your estimated landing weight is over max? Is it legal to takeoff, burn extra in cruise and land within the legal limit?

In FARs I found where it's illegal to land, but I couldn't find where it says it's illegal to takeoff.

 

[labatt]

Sounds like you'll need to recalculate your flight plan. Lower, faster, longer etc. If you were my jumpseater standing at the gate you are getting on for sure. I had a Capt. at my own airline not take me because he was 16 lbs. over his landing weight! Plus he is a commuter. I'd still get him on my flight any day of the week.
§ 121.195 Airplanes: Turbine engine powered: Landing limitations: Destination airports.

(a) No person operating a turbine engine powered airplane may take off that airplane at such a weight that (allowing for normal consumption of fuel and oil in flight to the destination or alternate airport) the weight of the airplane on arrival would exceed the landing weight set forth in the Airplane Flight Manual for the elevation of the destination or alternate airport and the ambient temperature anticipated at the time of landing.

 

[RedBelly]

If you are planning on buring more in cruise, then your planned landing weight would be legal. Are you talking about 121, 135, or 91? If it is 121, then amend the release (or get a new one) that shows a higher fuel burn with a legal landing weight.

 

[Bringupthebird]

Does the airplane burn an additional 200lb of fuel solely as the result of taking the jumpseater? Probably not unless the jumpseater weighed about 1500lbs !

 

[Erlanger]

Can you takeoff knowing that your estimated landing weight is over max? Is it legal to takeoff, burn extra in cruise and land within the legal limit?

In FARs I found where it's illegal to land, but I couldn't find where it says it's illegal to takeoff.

I know exactly what you're talking about and the simple answer is you can't do it. You need to get dispatch to change the numbers on the release. They could file you for a lower altitude to burn fuel but what's on that release is what you have to go by. So knowingly taking off as you described above even though your max takeoff weight is based on landing weight and not climb, field performance or other factors at the origination point would still get you in trouble with the Feds.

 

[Minimaniac]

The most correct answer in my eyes is that you cannot takeoff at a weight higher than the weight of max landing weight plus planned fuel burn.

My work around is to get off the gate with your jumpseater, and go burn off the extra 200 lbs in a run up area. With both engines and the APU, you can burn that amount off less than 10 minutes without having to run the engines up very high. Just keep max ramp weight kosher, and take the runway when you have burned down to max land plus planned burn.

 

[CaptainKiwi]

How about this twist... Dispatch files you around weather and you are fueled with a landing weight limit. You get your clearance and ATC clears you direct and the flighttime is 14 minutes shorter. The weather has cleared. Can you takeoff using the orignal release filling the airplane with max payload using the fuel burn from the original release? Then takeoff ontime and burn off the excess fuel by flying lower, faster, using spoilers, gear early, ect to land under max landing weight and maintain the sched? I did this once with a comair jumpseater and I was able to keep him on. I discussed this before we took off and none of the 3 of us could see anything illegal with it. A comair pilot out there owes me a cold one.

 

[CaptainKiwi]

Or... You have planned with 45 minutes of taxi fuel because you are in LGA but today there isn't a line for takeoff and you takeoff in 10 minutes which you will be taking off overweight based on your landing weight limit. Are you legal or must you sit there and wait until you are at your max takeoff wt due to landing wt limit or just burn it off in the air. I know I would just takeoff and burn it off in the air. Sometimes it comes down to using good judgement. Now if you take off with excess payload and then are required to burn excess fuel along the way that dips into reserve and or alternate fuel in order to land below landing wt limit then that is a poor decision and what I think the Feds wouldn't like.

 

[igneousy2]

Captain Kiwi...

There are no twists in either of your hypotheticals...in either case you cannot take-off.

The twist in the first scenario would be if you got the reroute AFTER take-off...then all planning goes in the trash can and you just have to make sure you land below max landing weight.

There is no way to make your 2nd scenario kosher...if you are that close on your landing weight then you must burn the fuel.

There is no "common-sense authority" when it comes to regulations and you can't claim emergency authority if the action you are taking is not necessary for a safe flight.

My question to you is...why are you in such a rush?

 

[GuppyWN]

Captain Kiwi...

There are no twists in either of your hypotheticals...in either case you cannot take-off.

The twist in the first scenario would be if you got the reroute AFTER take-off...then all planning goes in the trash can and you just have to make sure you land below max landing weight.

There is no way to make your 2nd scenario kosher...if you are that close on your landing weight then you must burn the fuel.

There is no "common-sense authority" when it comes to regulations and you can't claim emergency authority if the action you are taking is not necessary for a safe flight.

My question to you is...why are you in such a rush?

Wrong.

So you're telling me that if you are next in line at LGA and you're 100 pounds under planned taxi fuel that you will not accept a takeoff clearance?

One delay vector or altitude holddown for traffic cures the problem.

Don't land overweight and don't PUSH without the numbers jiving. Everything in the middle is one GIGANTIC variable.

Gup