SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/pilot-cg-total-moment

How do you find the center of gravity from a loading list?

Divide total moment by total weight.

  1. Divide total moment by total weight ✔
  2. Multiply total weight by total arm
  3. Divide total weight by total moment

Why: Each item's moment is its weight times its arm, its distance from the datum. Add up all the weights and moments, then divide total moment by total weight. The answer is the CG in inches from the datum.

Huh, didn't know that: The datum is an imaginary vertical plane, chosen by the manufacturer, from which all arms are measured.

The dad joke
Why did the airplane do math before every flight? It wanted to stay balanced.
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Sources

  1. FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Chapter 10 https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/faa-h-8083-25c.pdf
  2. FAA Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook (FAA-H-8083-1B), Chapter 2 https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/FAA-H-8083-1.pdf

Test yourself in the game

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That's stuff everyone should know.