Lynn writes " All one had to do was
pay more money to get the higher weight limit. Flying at either weight was
safe "
Lynn's comments underscore the
general misunderstanding about gross weight. Every pound of cargo (extra fuel,
passengers, baggage) you load into an airplane makes that plane less
safe. Part of the confusion is due to the way an airframe is rated for
load in Gs. Wing spars are tested at a certain load and then this load
is converted into G's assuming a given gross weight. Increase the gross
weight and the wings break off at a lower G load.
Brent,
The airplanes (and company) I referenced in the
above quote was Boeing. Perhaps they don't understand about gross weight
either?
It sounds like your position is, "unsafe at any
weight"?
Regards,
Lynn