General · Lesson 5 of 40
Weight and Balance
Why and how aircraft are weighed, the terms and sign rules, finding the empty weight CG, updating it after equipment changes, adverse-loading checks, ballast, jacking safety and the records a mechanic must keep.
11 min read
Last reviewed
Part of A&P Complete
This lesson is in the full course
- Define datum, arm, moment, CG, empty weight, useful load, tare, minimum fuel and percent of MAC
- Prepare and level an aircraft for weighing, and jack it safely
- Calculate empty weight and EWCG from scale readings, and update them after an equipment change
- Perform forward and aft adverse-loading checks and calculate the ballast needed to correct an out-of-limit CG
- Explain the effects of an overweight aircraft or a CG outside its limits, and record a weight and balance change