Originally Posted by
Chris Smith
The manual assumes the builder is using a teeter balancer. Since the wings are staggared, the teeter fits between the wings better upside down.
When using scales or load cells all of that nonsense about upside down goes away. The days of balancing heavy expensive models with teeter balancers will come to an end once you've seen how easy weight scales work.
I demonstrated the process at JOK this year on the largest jet at the meet. No way anyone would have risked putting that jet on a CG machine! We used office scales and a calculator.
I couldn't agree more, I've been using scales now for about 2 seasons and I'm hands-down convinced it's the most effective method. It turned a very cumbersome process into a breeze. Initially I would consistently double-check using the traditional method but have grown to trust it. I now have several models specs saved which makes it easy to move gear around or different batteries. I've also started using the scales to check CG shift based on fuel load. It's great!
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