Linda & the Boeing 2707 …weight and balance



Lear 45 Custom Interior

She said “…Look back there; we’ve got plenty of room for more stuff. I’ve been reading Little Birds specs and we can carry more baggage”. I tried to explain weight and balance to her. I told her a story of when my father, who was an aeronautical engineer, was working on Boeing’s 2707project.

I was just a kid. One who had Boeing promotional pictures of the 2707 mock up as well as artists drawings of her in flight hanging in his room . I quickly developed a deep love for this future aircraft.



Boeing 2707

Linda asked my point. I told her how crushed I was the day my dad came home from Seattle and said “…she’ll never fly”. I asked why and he said “…they’re asking her to do too much. We don’t have the compressor technology to pull it off. They want her to carry 200-300 passengers. That is too much weight. To push that much weight that fast for so long takes a great amount of fuel, meaning, more weight. If compressor technology remains consistent and fuel prices inconsistent …she would not be cost effective for any airline to operate”.

Boeing plant Mock Up



Little Bird Spec Sheet

Linda said she understood basic physics and that she could read too …as she has done with Little Birds op specs during our long ocean crossings.

 

She "reminded" me that Little Bird’s max gross weight is 20450 lbs (per FSX_SE). That our girl weighs 11700 empty. Linda said she’s signing the fuel bills and we’re carrying 892 gals at the full mark. She correctly figured fuel weight around 6.7 pounds per gallon and punched in another 5978 pounds. She smiled and asked "…aren’t we and our baggage only posting 770 pounds? That gives me 2000 pounds for baggage, not 200. Look back there …plenty of space for more …stuff."

Oh boy …there go my numbers. We’re off for Derby (YDBY). More later from a heavier Little Bird.