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Everything Explained: Weight and Balance

FAA regulations could change at any time. Please refer to current FARs to ensure you are legal. Illustration by Tim Barker
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article defines various aircraft weights, including Empty Weight, Basic Operating Weight, Fuel Load, Useful Load, Maximum Takeoff Weight, and Max Landing Weight, each with specific inclusions and exclusions.
  • Maximum Allowable Zero Fuel Weight (MZFW) is a critical limit designed to prevent destructive wing-bending stress by setting the maximum permissible weight in the fuselage.
  • Aircraft weight and balance calculations rely on concepts such as Datum, Station, Arm, Moment, and the Center of Gravity (CG), which must be maintained within specific limits, often referenced to the Mean Aerodynamic Chord (MAC).
See a mistake? Contact us.

Empty Weight Empty weight is defined as the total weight of an aircraft including all fixed ballast, unusable fuel, undrainable oil, total quantity of engine coolant and total quantity of hydraulic fluid, and excluding crew, payload, usable fuel and drainable oil.

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