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Firefly W/ bigger tank

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DAquaNut(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 8:07 pm Post subject: Firefly W/ bigger tank

    List:

  

    Anyone flying a Firefly with a 10 gallon tank, or is it  unsafe?  I only weigh 175lb so I thought maybe I could put a larger  capacity tank and still not have the gross weight as high as some one flying  with only 5 gal.and a pilot weight of 210 lbs .or so. Comments???

  

            Ed  Diebel

tkrolfe(at)usadatanet.net
Guest

Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 6:53 am Post subject: Firefly W/ bigger tank

DAquaNut(at)aol.com (DAquaNut(at)aol.com) wrote:  	  Quote: 	
		                  List:

    

      Anyone flying a Firefly with a 10 gallon tank, or is it unsafe?  I only weigh 175lb so I thought maybe I could put a larger capacity tank and still not have the gross weight as high as some one flying with only 5 gal.and a pilot weight of 210 lbs .or so. Comments???

    

              Ed Diebel

   	
 Ed,

 

 I fly my FireFly with considerable more weight added when going camping with my flying friends.  I too weight 175 and only have a 5 gallon tank, but I have carried a tent, sleeping bag, folding chair, two air mattresses, cooler and 2 gals of extra fuel when making these trips.  I also have a pouch built behind the fuel tank to carry supplies which must weigh 5 lb.'s. The FireFly showed no adverse flying habits doing so.  Consider that all of that added weight is directly under the wing and CG.  It just caused some amusement for others when they wanted to know how I trucked all that gear with me.  If you weight in at 225, maybe then to be concerned.  My question is why the 10 gals.?  The range on the FireFly with 5 gals. is over a 120 miles and that will take me far enough.  I do carry a one gal. spare as luggage on my luggage rack behind my seat on all flights for security.

 

 Terry -  FireFly #95

Dave Pelletier

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 100
Location: Prescott, Arizona

Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:36 am Post subject: Firefly W/ bigger tank

 

  	  Quote: 	
		      

   



DAquaNut(at)aol.com (DAquaNut(at)aol.com) wrote:     	  Quote: 	
		                List:

      

        Anyone flying a Firefly with a 10 gallon tank, or is it      unsafe?  

      

                Ed      Diebel

	
   Ed,    

    

       For    what it's worth, I weigh about 185 and I flew my 447 powered Firestar with two 5-gallon tanks for over 100    hours.  Never had a problem.  Now it seems to me that you shouldn't    have a problem because the Firefly weighs less than the Firestar with the same    engine.  I can't imagine that there would be a structural problem with    the extra 30+ pounds.

    

   AzDave

    

   Do Not    Archive

_________________
AzDave

jeepacro(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:37 am Post subject: Firefly W/ bigger tank

When you do this are you over grose #?  If so by how much?

--

Rob.

---- Terry <tkrolfe(at)usadatanet.net> wrote: 

 	  Quote: 	
		   DAquaNut(at)aol.com wrote:

 >     List:

 >  

 >    Anyone flying a Firefly with a 10 gallon tank, or is it unsafe?  I 

 > only weigh 175lb so I thought maybe I could put a larger capacity tank 

 > and still not have the gross weight as high as some one flying with 

 > only 5 gal.and a pilot weight of 210 lbs .or so. Comments???

 >  

 >            Ed Diebel

 Ed,

 I fly my FireFly with considerable more weight added when going camping 

 with my flying friends.  I too weight 175 and only have a 5 gallon tank, 

 but I have carried a tent, sleeping bag, folding chair, two air 

 mattresses, cooler and 2 gals of extra fuel when making these trips.  I 

 also have a pouch built behind the fuel tank to carry supplies which 

 must weigh 5 lb.'s. The FireFly showed no adverse flying habits doing 

 so.  Consider that all of that added weight is directly under the wing 

 and CG.  It just caused some amusement for others when they wanted to 

 know how I trucked all that gear with me.  If you weight in at 225, 

 maybe then to be concerned.  My question is why the 10 gals.?  The range 

 on the FireFly with 5 gals. is over a 120 miles and that will take me 

 far enough.  I do carry a one gal. spare as luggage on my luggage rack 

 behind my seat on all flights for security.

 Terry -  FireFly #95

DAquaNut(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:14 pm Post subject: Firefly W/ bigger tank

In a message dated 7/19/2006 10:38:38 A.M. Central Standard Time,  jeepacro(at)cox.net writes:

  	  Quote: 	
		  

When    you do this are you over grose #?  If so by how  much?

--

Rob 	


 

        If you take my bare plane it weighed  252  + 30 lb fuel + 20lb  BRS +    4 lb brakes + 4lbs   6" wheels and tires.   At that rate it would be over gross if  the pilot weighed over 195Lbs

  

     The original factory firefly had firestar solid axles  and brakes + BRS  + full enclosure + lexan gap seal, and if Im not mistaken  had pilots fly her in excess of 210lbs. I know the Factory firefly weighed more  than mine.   Last time I checked my gross was 518#  with 5 gal  fuel  . Five more would bring it to 548lbs    Anyone know  what the Red /White Firefly weighed?

  

                                 Ed 

  

             Ed           Do Not  Archive

Steve Boetto

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 365

Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 10:51 am Post subject: Firefly W/ bigger tank

Ed,

 FF#oo7 on floats comes in at the full max weight allowed for part 103. With the BRS it weighs over 320lbs. Bryan M  is about 200lbs and says that the Firefly handles almost as good as a land plane version. I have never flown any other Firefly so I cant give a comparison.  The Firefly really handles  the extra weight. also keep in mind that the floats add a lot more drag.

 

 Steve

Don G

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 156
Location: Central Illinois

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:46 am Post subject: Re: Firefly W/ bigger tank

Ed, I am flying with 10 gallons, plus a fiberglass seat with 2 one inch layers of heavy memory foam on the bottom side..an aluminum pan underneath the seat..lessee...rear ducktail of aluminum...rear enclosure with added chromemoly tubing welded in for support and a rear cargo areawith a door. Loaded up with a garmin and radio...a couple of bottles of oil and 10 gallons..tie downs and misc other junk... oh yea...big tires and hydraulic brakesand likely almost a gallon more paint on the craft than necessary. TOW is regularly 550 lbs...it does fly a tad sluggish in this mode...takeoffs are a tad longer and faster and lands a little faster than normal..but top speed and handeling are not affected. Really the only way a fella notices is when one has expierienced a light firefly!!anybody else would not use these terms!!

...and anyone watching me take off when heavy and sluggish....still wonders at the rate of climb and the angle on climbout.

Really it aint bad...and before I added all this stuff...when it was basically stock..I was admonished more than once from wanna-be safety police at fly-ins for "flying dangerously at high angle of climb upon takeoff"...which I am sure all 40 hp FireFly pilots understand when simply rotateing at full throttle and holding about 55 mph on climb...you have to have such a steep climb to hold it down to 55 that people just dont believe it!



As far as just adding 10 gallons of fuel...it will handle it fine.



Look at my website for pics on gas tank installation and mods.

_________________
Don G.
Central Illinois
Kitfox IV Speedster
Luscombe 8A
RV9A

Arksey(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:18 am Post subject: Firefly W/ bigger tank

Don G

 your web site has lots of good information. You did a good  job.  thanks   Jim Swan Mi

  

 do not archive

DAquaNut(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 8:56 pm Post subject: Firefly W/ bigger tank

    Thanks to Don and Terry and others for the info on  Firefly weight and fuel. That info will help me in decision making

  

                Ed        Do not  archive

jimhefner

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 91
Location: Tucson, AZ

Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 5:43 pm Post subject: Re: Firefly W/ bigger tank

Ed, I also have a 10gal tank on my FF.  I flew it initially with the 5gal tank and after installing the 10gal tank I couldn't tell any difference in the way it handled.  It's pretty much right under the CG, so it didn't cause any undesired changes in handling.  I carry another 2 gals in the aft V.... no problem.  Go for it!

_________________
Jim Hefner
Tucson, AZ
Do Not Archive

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