Computerized weight and balance

[Ernie Martin]

At the risk of getting in trouble, I don't EVER do a weight and balance (w&b) calculation. For like the last 10 years.

I trained with a CFI that weighed over 300 lbs, did the w&b and it was OK. Early on, when I was building a house in the Bahamas, I made some trips with just me and lots of cargo, did the w&b and it was OK (to be fair, heavier stuff like beer cases went on the 2nd row of seats or near the front of the cargo area).

After several more w&b with pretty extreme loads, I concluded that it's very hard to get a Skymaster outside the w&b parameters, if you adhere to the max weight restriction on the cargo area and use minimal common sense (obviously, if one day I have an extraordinary load, like very light kids and a heavy cargo load, I will do a w&b).

Do other readers feel the same way? Or have you found instances where a Skymaster is outside the w&b parameters?

Ernie