Aircraft Weighing Service Cost

[Rob58]

I’m trying to get an idea of what various maintenance shops charge to weigh an aircraft and handle the paperwork. Seems like a fair amount of work is required to de-fuel and get an aircraft leveled. Anyone had this done lately? Thanks.

 

[Bell206]

I’m trying to get an idea of what various maintenance shops charge to weigh an aircraft and handle the paperwork.

There's no single answer. But like other specialized services its usually flat-rated and subjective to location. Around the GOM area its $300-$500 for single/twin private recip aircraft. Higher for business class/turbine/helicopters. Other variables can be if you travel, type of equipment used, rental equipment or own, or if your service is standalone or done as part of larger work. Perhaps look to see who offers weighing services in a 100-mile radius from your shop and see how you would fit in. But its kind of like prop balancing services, unless you can justify the equipment cost vs usage, you tend to end up paying more for recurrent calibration costs than it can worth in the long run.

 

[Magman]

Often overlooked is the importance of assuring that the Equipment List

reflects the actual configuration of the aircraft at time of weighing.


Without that; it’s like having a bank account balance without knowing about

deposits and withdrawals.

 

[Rob58]

All points noted as important considerations and appreciated. Thank you!

 

[flyingron]

I did my own after the engine swap. The plane was already defueled, and we had put everything back together. Jack each wheel up and slide the scale under. Get the level out and make sure she's level. Read the numbers. Since the shop exclusively does Navions, he already devised a worksheet that took you from the raw numbers to the new CG data.

For heaven's sake, please do it indoors. In addition to all the other unsafe and stupid things Cringley did in his idiotic plane build, he did his weight/CG stuff outside on a breezy day.