Today is the first time the covered wings, empennage and engine have been mounted to the fuselage. This is by no means an official weigh and balance as the fuselage still needs painting, some cables need routing, permanent engine mount has to be built, I need instruments...and a few other items to finish off. Nonetheless it is great to see what the LE looks like and feels like to sit in. It will also be good to know if it is in the ballpark of a decent CG.
For the W&B calculations, the tail was elevated to the horizontal using a spirit level on the top longeron and 3 x bathroom scales used, one under each wheel.
Dry weight came in at 249lbs, remembering there are 2 rotomolded fuel tanks which are heavier than the aluminium options and also the temporary bed mount weighs 10lbs and will be replaced with a purpose built lighter one. Overall I am very happy with the lightness of the aircraft and am satisfied it would be sub 254lbs when completed and legal Part 103 in the USA. Though we do not have Part 103 freedoms available in Australia it is nice to know my LE is light and should perform accordingly.
Full wet weight was 359.3lbs and included filling both tanks with water.
