AIRCRAFT MASS AND

BALANCE

INTRODUCTION

09/06/2022 AME NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, ZARIA PPT 1.1

 INTRODUCTION

DEFINITION OF MASS AND BALANCE

AND MASS AND BALANCE TERMINOLOGIES

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.2

 OBJECTIVES
 At the AME School in a classroom. Trainees will be able
to explain mass and balance and define the
terminologies associated with mass and balance in
accordance with the AMES and PART 3 of NCAA
Regulation.

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.3

 INTERMIDIATE OBJECTIVES
 DEFINE AIRCRAFT MASS AND BALANCE
 EXPLAIN TERMINOLOGIES OF MASS AND BALANCE

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.4

 INTRODUCTION
 Weight is a major factor in airplane construction and
operation, and it demands respect from all pilots and
particular diligence by all A&P mechanics and repairmen.
 Excessive weight reduces the efficiency of an aircraft
and the safety margin available if an emergency
condition should arise

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.5

 DEFINITION
 The act of weighing an aircraft and ensuring that it is
balance for the purpose of safety and efficient
performance.
 The weight of an aircraft and its balance are extremely
important for operating an aircraft in a safe and efficient
manner

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.6

 INTRODUCTION
 The maximum allowable weight is based on the surface
area of the wing, and how much lift it will generate at a
safe and appropriate airspeed
 Where an aircraft balances is also a significant factor in
determining if the aircraft is safe to operate.
 An aircraft that does not have good balance can exhibit
poor maneuverability and controllability

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.7

 NEED FOR AIRCRAFT WEINGING
 Every aircraft type certificated by the FAA, before leaving
the factory for delivery to its new owner, receives a
weight and balance report as part of its required aircraft
records.
 The weight and balance report identifies the empty
weight of the aircraft and the location at which the
aircraft balances, known as the center of gravity
 Over a period of time, almost all aircraft have a tendency
to gain weight.
 Examples of how this can happen include an airplane
being repainted without the old paint being remove

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.8

 NEED FOR AIRCRAFT WEIGHING
 After the aircraft leaves the factory and is delivered to its
owner, the need or requirement for placing the aircraft on
scales and reweighing it varies depending on the type of
aircraft and how it is used.
 FAA requirement that the airplane always have a current
and accurate weight and balance report.
 If the weight and balance report for an aircraft is lost, the
aircraft must be weighed and a new report must be
created.
 If the airplane has new equipment installed, such as a
radio or a global positioning system, a new weight and
balance report must be created.

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.9

 NEED FOR AIRCRAFT WEIGHING
 Some aircraft are required to be weighed and have their
center of gravity calculated on a periodic basis, typically
every 3 years

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.10

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 DATUM
 The datum is an imaginary vertical plane from which all
horizontal measurements are taken for balance
purposes, with the aircraft in level flight attitude
 For each aircraft make and model, the location of all
items is identified in reference to the datum
 There is no fixed rule for the location of the datum,
except that it must be a location that will not change
during the life of the aircraft

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.11

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 The location of the datum is identified in the Aircraft
Specifications or Type Certificate Data Sheet
 ARM
 The arm is the horizontal distance that a part of the
aircraft or a piece of equipment is located from the
datum.
 The arm’s distance is always given or measured in
inches, and, except for a location which might be exactly
on the datum, it is preceded by the algebraic sign for
positive (+) or negative (−).

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.12

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 The positive sign indicates an item is located aft of the
datum and the negative sign indicates an item is located
forward of the datum.
 If the manufacturer chooses a datum that is at the most
forward location on an aircraft (or some distance forward
of the aircraft), all the arms will be positive numbers.

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.13

 Weight and Balance Terminology

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 Weight and Balance Terminology
 MOMENT
 A moment is the product of a weight multiplied by its arm.
 The moment for a piece of equipment is in fact a torque
value, measured in units of inch-pounds (in-lb)
 To obtain the moment of an item with respect to the datum,
 multiply the weight of the item by its horizontal distance from
the datum.
 Likewise, the moment of an item with respect to the center of
gravity (CG) of an aircraft can be computed by multiplying its
weight by the horizontal distance from the CG

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.15

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 CENTER OF GRAVITY
 The center of gravity (CG) of an aircraft is a point about
which the nose heavy and tail heavy moments are
exactly equal in magnitude.
 It is the balance point for the aircraft.
 An aircraft suspended from this point would have no
tendency to rotate in either a nose-up or nose-down
attitude.
 It is the point about which the weight of an airplane or
any object is concentrated

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.16

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 MAXIMUM WEIGHT
 The maximum weight is the maximum authorized weight
of the aircraft and its contents, and is indicated in the
Aircraft Specifications or Type Certificate Data Sheet
 MAXIMUM RAMP WEIGHT
 the heaviest weight to which an aircraft can be loaded
while it is sitting on the ground.
 This is sometimes referred to as the maximum taxi
weight.

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.17

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 Empty Weight:- is the weight of the aircraft, engine and
all the operating equipment that has a fixed location and
is actually installed on the aircraft. It includes fixed
ballast, hydraulic fluid, residual fuel and residual oil
 Reaction- The load at each separate weighing point
 Total Gross Weight:- is the total weight of the aircraft
equipment passengers, baggage and fuel

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.18

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 Operating Empty Weight (OEW):- is the empty weight of
the aircraft plus the weight of certain items carried on the
aircraft and necessary for the mission,
 such items include the crew, the galley water, survival
gear, fuel, oil, deicing fluid, water injection etc.
 Operating empty weight is used to facilitate faster
loading calculation

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.19

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 MAXIMUM TAKE WEIGHT
 the heaviest weight an aircraft can have when it starts
the takeoff roll.
 The difference between this weight and the maximum
ramp weight would equal the weight of the fuel that
would be consumed prior to takeoff
 MAXIMUM LANDING WEIGHT
 the heaviest weight an aircraft can have when it lands.
 For large wide body commercial airplanes, it can be
100,000 lb less than maximum takeoff weight, or even
more

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.20

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 MAXIMUM ZERO FUEL WEIGHT
 the heaviest weight an aircraft can be loaded to without
having any usable fuel in the fuel tanks.
 Any weight loaded above this value must be in the form
of fuel.
 BASIC EQUIPEMENT
 Is the inconsumable fluids (e.g coolant, deicing and
hydraulic fluids) and equipment which is common to all
roles which the operator intends to use the aircraft e.g.
Radio, Oxygen, pyrotechnics equipment etc

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.21

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 Basic Weight- Is the weight of the aircraft and all its
equipment plus that of the declared quantity of unusable
fuel and unusable oil
 Variable Load:- variable load is the weight of the crews
and of item such as crew baggage, removable units and
other equipment. The carriage of which depends upon the
role for which the operator intends to use the aircraft, for a
particular flight.
 Disposable Load:- Is the weight to all persons (e.g.
passengers) and items of load, including fuel and other
consumable fluids carried in the aircraft other than the
Basic Equipment and Variable Load

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.22

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 Maximum Total Weight Authorized (MTWA):- Is the
maximum total weight authorized for an aircraft and its
contents at which the aircraft may take off anywhere in
the world, in the most favourable circumstance in
accordance with the certificate to Airworthiness or flight
manual
 LEMAC. Leading Edge of the Mean Aerodynamic
Chord.

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.23

 Weight and Balance Terminology
 Maximum Take Off Weight:- This is the greatest amount
of weight an aircraft is safely capable of lifting from the
ground. It is limited by the runway length and condition of
runway.
 Payload Weight:- Is the weight of the passengers and
cargo carried in the aircraft.
 Useful Load:- Gross weight of an aircraft minus empty
weight

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.24

 WEIGHT AND BALANCE
TERMINOLOGIES
 Fuel Jettison System.
 A fuel subsystem that allows the flight crew to dump
fuel in an emergency to lower the weight of an aircraft to
the maximum landing weight if a return to landing is
required before sufficient fuel is burned off.
 This system must allow enough fuel to be jettisoned that
the aircraft can still meet the climb requirements
specified in 14 CFR part 25.

09/06/22 INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGN UNIT PPT 1.25