Can I load my AeroCanard to over gross safely?
A. We test the airplane up to the gross weight as specified in the flight manual. The main problem in an over gross airplane is the canard stall speed. At higher weights, the canard is going to stall at a higher indicated airspeed. The airplane will also use more runway for takeoff and for landing and could become a dangerous situation at higher density altitude airports. The use of a constant speed propeller will help in getting the airplane off the ground sooner and flying using less runway than a fixed pitch propeller and should be considered a necessity if over gross operations are going to be used. The constant speed propellers are also highly recommended for operations from high density airports even within the gross limits as specified.
