andrew wisc.

My Feedback: (4)

want your opinions . is it generally true that a heavier plane will have lower performance than the same plane and set up that
is heavier. at what point does the aircraft suffer in durability being lighter. also the heavier the aircraft the hotter it will have to
land and more fuel will be used to maintain same performance. what do you think?

Deadeye

Lighter is better for most cases. However, there is something to be said about heavier planes. They handle the wind better, and tend to be more forgiving on those less than perfect landings. This is assuming the extra weight was added to strengthen key areas like the LG block.

meaden

My Sig Kougar is 6lb (after I put it on a diet) the upper limit of the kit recommendation. Before, the airspeed needed to be high to keep it flying and it had to land way to hot because the wing loading was so high. It flys fine at 6lb but if I could shave another 8oz off it it would be much more crisp flying and land slower.

Shaving 8oz off doesn't seem like much, but for a 6lb plane that's 1/12th it's weight. If you shave 1/12th the weight off someone that's 180lb that's 15lb. So small amounts of weight can make a huge difference as they add up. 8oz is probably the extra coat of primer and paint I put on it.

ELTIGRE

lighter is nearly aways better.heavier planes must fly faster & at higher AOA inorder to develope same lift & will stall at higher speeds.acceleration is slower, landing speed is increased as is fuel consumption.full size planes handle noticably different when fully loaded than when empty. It is a myth that heavier planes "handle " wind better.that is a function of many factors including design. true, they may not get pushed around as much by gusts, BUT, lighter planes recover faster from any disturbances caused by wind etc.in fact if you suddenly encounter cross wind or tail wind (like downwind turns), the heavier weight will work against you. in placing aerobatic manuevers it is posible to be somewhat too light if precision is required. heavier only absorbs landing stress if the weight goes into reinforcing the gear. lighter planes land slower so the overall mean stress level is the same.