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Flight test dummy?

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cluttonfred

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No, I am not teasing anyone, just wondering about how someone might flight test a two-seater at full gross weight with just the pilot aboard. You want the weights to be as close as possible to where they'd be with a second person aboard, but everything has to be very secure. An actual 180 lb "dummy" would be pretty darn awkward to load and unload and the feet could foul the pedals.

What would be good is some sort of system (sandbags or what have) that you load in stages but connect together and strap in like a person for the flight. Anyone know of any good solutions?

The only thing I have come up with is a large backpack that you strap in the seat like a person plus a smaller bag buckled to the first one on the floor in front of the seat. Thighs to feet is about 1/3 of total human weight so call it about 120 lb in the big bag and 60 lb in the smaller one in 20 or 30 lb increments?
 
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