DADE Load Planning & Weight and Balance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Takeoff Weight (TOW) is correctly calculated as:
- Operational Empty Weight plus payload only
- Basic Operating Weight plus payload plus all usable fuel (Correct answer)
- Maximum Zero Fuel Weight plus reserve fuel only
- Maximum Landing Weight plus estimated fuel burn en route
Correct 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.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a Load and Trim Sheet?
- To record passenger names, seat assignments, and meal selections
- To document the aircraft's total weight and CG position and confirm both are within certified limits (Correct answer)
- To calculate fuel requirements for alternate airports and final reserve
- To track maintenance discrepancies that affect the aircraft's weight
Correct 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.
Question 3: Standard passenger weights used in Part 121 load planning are primarily intended to:
- Maximize revenue by allowing heavier total payloads
- Simplify load planning using FAA-approved statistical averages instead of weighing each individual (Correct answer)
- Comply with ICAO Annex 6 standards exclusively
- Eliminate the need for fuel calculations on short-haul flights
Correct 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.
Question 4: In weight and balance, a 'moment' is defined as:
- The elapsed time required to complete the loading of an aircraft
- The product of a weight multiplied by its arm (distance from the reference datum) (Correct answer)
- The maximum load any single structural member can support
- The CG expressed as a percentage of Mean Aerodynamic Chord
Correct 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.
Question 5: How does fuel burn during a long flight typically affect the aircraft's CG?
- CG always moves forward as fuel burns from wing tanks
- CG position is unaffected because fuel weight is symmetric
- CG may shift forward or aft depending on tank location relative to the CG datum and the fuel burn sequence (Correct answer)
- CG always moves aft as fuel burns, regardless of tank position
Correct 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.
Question 6: An aircraft has a calculated Zero Fuel Weight of 142,500 lbs against a MZFW of 138,000 lbs. What must the dispatcher do?
- Approve the flight because ZFW is within 5% of MZFW
- Require removal of payload until ZFW is at or below 138,000 lbs (Correct answer)
- Add fuel to raise the MTOW and absorb the excess weight
- File a deviation report with the FSDO and proceed normally
Correct 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.
Question 7: The 'index' system used in computerized load and trim sheets simplifies weight and balance by:
- Replacing all weight calculations with fleet-average estimates
- Using pre-scaled, corrected moment values that reduce computational complexity and arithmetic error risk (Correct answer)
- Automatically uploading fuel burn data to the FMS
- Determining optimal passenger seating assignments for CG control
Correct 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.
DADE Load Planning & Weight and Balance 2
Takeoff Weight (TOW) is correctly calculated as: