flying scenery

[Techwizard]

I have recently upgraded from flying with hemp to counterweight flying. Can any one tell what is the rule of thumb in telling the weight of scenery flats when the weight is not know?

[paulears]

Unless you have something to weigh it with, then you just kind of know when you lift them - not really any different from hemp flying - in fact, much more critical with hemp. We just find that after lifting it to the right location, someone usually says "stick six on and let's see how that is" Usually we're pretty close.

Moderation: A duplicate of this topic was also in anther place in the forum - we don't multiple post, so that one has gone

[gyro_gearloose]

A couple of sets of bathroom scales should be all you need. Stand the flat to be weighed on edge (any edge, it doesn't matter which) and put two sets of scales underneath it so that all the weight is taken by the scales. All you need to do is then add the weights together and viola! You'll have the weight of the flat. Much better than guessing and if you have the scales set up in the wings, you can weigh the flats as they are being brought in.

[indyld]

As Paul says, usually the flyman leans over the flyrail and has a good guess at the number of weights and works from there. Experience is the key but you could easily calculate it before the fit up, based on materials, volume etc. I have never seen the bathroom scales method used but it sounds plausible.

 

If you are able to take the bar out to tension on the drifts from bar to the flat and still reach to load the cradle(but cannot pick the flat up because the cradle is at "bar weight") then the flyman just leaves the brake off and monitors the rope while the cradle is loaded and starts to pick up the flat. Then they test it and get a further weight put on/taken off. If the balance can't be exact, the line is usually left slightly cradle heavy to avoid the piece flying IN in the event of a brake / operator malfunction.

 

It is usually more desirable to get the weights right first when over/under hauling. This is the process of using physical strength to pull against the weight of bar/cradle when the counterweighting is unbalanced for some reason during the first flying/loading. Then, if the balance is incorrect, the cradle has to be overhauled back to the loading gallery to stick a few more weights on and carefully lowered again until it picks up the flat.

 

This is where you wish you had known the correct weight, because you don't want to do all that too many times.