Every passenger had to say the weight on a flight to a small village in Alaska. The same thing happened at a small plane for a sightseeing trip to Grand Canyon.

stef315,

A bit off topic perhaps....but why would anyone visit Skagway in the wintertime? It's gotta be family obligation. LOL

Weight question comes up anytime you take Air Guadeloupe for that fabulous 15 minute trip between Guadeloupe and Les Saintes. They even make you stand on the scale so there's no fibbing. At least it's in kilos. When I'm told I weigh only 79 it makes me feel less guilty eating all the good eats there.

Not family (they're mostly in IL)...work! While some FTers travel to NYC, Tokyo, etc for work, I get to travel to Skagway, Ketchikan, Barrow and everywhere in between!

Yes, Skagway is much nicer in the summer. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

In 30 years of business flying, I've been asked my weight just once -- on a commuter flight from Palm Springs to LAX. In fact, the agent actually weighed me. It was so long ago -- mid 80s -- that I can't remember the carrier.

There are incidences of crashes due to weight imbalance on smaller aircrafts (eg, BeechCraft)

http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi_bin/v...=Holmstoem+Air

Airline should inform people about this possibility so people will be more honeset to their weight reporting.

>How much do you weigh Sir<

I had to laugh when I saw this thread, because it reminded me of a very funny bit by comedian James Gregory. He talks about being asked his weight when boarding a plane.

FA: How much do you weigh Sir?
James: Why do you need to know?
FA: We need to know how much gas to put in the plane.
James: FILL IT UP! I dont want to die because some fat lady lied about her weight! FILL IT UP!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I've had to leave my bags behind on trips because of the weight issue (they usually got there the next day http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif)

And then there was the one flight I had where I was alone in the back of the twin otter with fuel barrels containing 140 gallons of urine! I was so glad that plane didn't crash because no one would have been willing to investigate the wreckage! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

On a flight a few years back when Delta was operating MD-88 flights between Boston and Bangor and beyond, I was approached by the stewardess after boarding the aircraft with the question"would you mind moving to the first class section"? Now I'm curious. Why would this stewardess offer me first class treatment? Did she find me fascinating;was it my exceptionally good looks? "No", I am told. " The flight is empty(only six passengers) and the pilot needs ballast". Well, I moved forward, while the others remained behind. The stewardess closed the curtain and began serving me all the soda,pretzels, nuts etc. that I could possibly consume for being a "good sport". My only regret was that it was only a 40 minute flight. But it's made for a lot of fun conversation over the years. With the present state of travel these days, you don't know how many times I wished this would happen to me again whenever I travel.

On planes that have engines only at the rear (727, DC9, MD80, etc.) and lightly loaded with fuel and pax for a short trip, they are very tail heavy. The solutions are either to move weight forward (like pax) or add extra fuel to the wings (costly).

I got stuck once when they had put too much fuel on an MD88 so we had to unload all the passengers and luggage while they spent an hour removing fuel so we could take off.

I had never realized what a big problem it would be to have too much gas!...

Flying from PHL to GON (Groton/NewLondon, CT) on a B1900, I was one of two pax on the flight. The pilot told us that we may have to move to the rear of the plane depending on the winds at arrival. :eek: That's something you don't see on an Airbus 320!!!

Worked at an SNA FBO in my younger days. Sat and watched as those boarding the flights to Catalina Island were asked their weight. I always wondered why this would scare so many people?

And, oh yes, if the load was light, people were told where to sit, to balance out the plane.

For me, asked on flights to Catalina from Orange County, Santa Cruz Island from Ventura, tour flight to some small mtn village outside of Puerto Vallarta, tour helicopter flight in Hawaii, and remember being asked recently, must have been on the plane flight from BKK to the island of Samui.

Not a shocker, kind of expect it, so I don't remember all the other small plane flights between islands in Hawaii, Mexico and Tahiti, when I may have also been asked.