Weight & Balance

The subject of Weight and Balance covers at least four distinct procedures: weighing an aircraft, calculating its empty weight and centre of gravity (CG), establishing the worst forward and aft CG loading cases according to an appropriate design code and calculating weights and centres of gravity for an actual flight.

This section includes guidance notes on each of these aspects, forms and worked examples (imperial or metric) for recording and calculating empty weight and CG, as well as worst forward and aft CG cases and an Excel based spreadsheet that makes the weight and CG calculations for you.  The table on the spreadsheet is set out in the same layout as the Loading Examples tables.

This spreadsheet can, of course, also be used for carrying out calculations for an actual flight.  Simply input the actual weights of the items to be loaded rather than the standard occupant or maximum fuel and baggage weights.  Remember, it is important to check that the CG remains within limits with no usable fuel as well as with the loaded fuel in the tanks, even though it will not be your intention of running the tank dry. The calculator generates two sets of weight and CG values for this purpose.

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Weight & Balance arrangements for gyroplanes are different to those of aeroplanes and a special type of report is used, unless the manufacturers concerned provides their own special schedule in which case this should be used instead.

 

Before accessing the documents below, please ensure you have read

Technical Leaflet 3.16 - Weight and Balance Guidance Notes.