Dman wrote:What I can`t understand is, if a current microlight has a ballistic chute installed, the weight automatically goes up to 472.5kg
so why cant a microlight that has no chute be rated to 472.5kg?
Would make quite a difference for someone my size, not particularly overweight, but 6`4" tall
It's a dispensation to allow safety equipment to be fitted so that there is no weight penalty and hence barrier to fitting it.
Strictly speaking the weight limit is still 450 kgs, to which may be added a ballistic chute of up to 22.5 kgs.
So really you are not supposed to be able to say, "My microlight has a ballistic chute fitted that only weighs 12.5 kgs, so I can put an extra 10 kgs of load in it." But everybody does, naturally.
This point was mentioned in the BMAA FAQs that was linked to earlier - basically it's not just MTOM, it's balance too and the chute has to be approved such that it doesn't mess up W&B.