Load Planning & Weight and Balance Flashcards
7 cards from real DADE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Load Planning & Weight and Balance flashcards as text
Takeoff Weight (TOW) is correctly calculated as:
Answer: Basic Operating Weight plus payload plus all usable fuel
Takeoff Weight = Basic Operating Weight + Payload + Usable Fuel; this represents the total aircraft weight at the moment of brake release.
What is the primary purpose of a Load and Trim Sheet?
Answer: To document the aircraft's total weight and CG position and confirm both are within certified limits
The Load and Trim Sheet documents computed weight and CG, confirming both are within limits before the captain and dispatcher sign the dispatch release.
Standard passenger weights used in Part 121 load planning are primarily intended to:
Answer: Simplify load planning using FAA-approved statistical averages instead of weighing each individual
FAA-approved standard weights use statistical averages for passengers and baggage, allowing efficient load planning without individually weighing each traveler.
In weight and balance, a 'moment' is defined as:
Answer: The product of a weight multiplied by its arm (distance from the reference datum)
A moment = weight × arm; summing all moments and dividing by total weight gives the CG location relative to the datum.
How does fuel burn during a long flight typically affect the aircraft's CG?
Answer: CG may shift forward or aft depending on tank location relative to the CG datum and the fuel burn sequence
CG shift depends on where each tank is located relative to the datum and the order tanks are drawn down; forward tanks moving CG aft and vice versa.
An aircraft has a calculated Zero Fuel Weight of 142,500 lbs against a MZFW of 138,000 lbs. What must the dispatcher do?
Answer: Require removal of payload until ZFW is at or below 138,000 lbs
MZFW is a hard structural limit; when ZFW exceeds it, payload must be removed — adding fuel cannot compensate because fuel is excluded from MZFW.
The 'index' system used in computerized load and trim sheets simplifies weight and balance by:
Answer: Using pre-scaled, corrected moment values that reduce computational complexity and arithmetic error risk
Index units are derived from moment values divided by a scaling constant, producing smaller, more manageable numbers that reduce errors in manual or computer calculations.