The airplane you fly has four seats, which means you can take three people along on your next vacation flight, correct? Probably not, unless they are small children or you plan to make many short legs. Very few light aircraft are capable of having all the seats occupied and the fuel tanks full without grossly exceeding the maximum gross weight limitation and possibly the allowable center of gravity range. Weight and balance (W&B) calculations are critical for any flight involving multiple passengers and lots of fuel.
The starting point for computing W&B is the basic empty weight of the aircraft—the weight of the aircraft plus installed optional equipment, oil, other required fluids, and any unusable fuel. That figure is found in the “Weight & Balance/Equipment List” for the airplane. If the airplane you fly has been around for a few years, you’ll probably have to search through the “W&B/Equipment List” for the FAA approval forms for revisions that have been made to find the current W&B statement.Each time an item of equipment is removed or added to the airplane or repair or physical modification is performed (such as the addition of vortex generators or even wheel pants), the new basic empty weight, arm, and moment for the airplane must be re-computed and recorded. Most of those changes are likely to be avionic updates to the panel. For example, if an old loran C has been removed and replaced with a GPS system, the net change in weight must be computed and the new basic empty weight of the airplane, the new arm, moment, and center of gravity noted.
Carefully examine all the W&B revision forms for the airplane you fly and make sure you know which one is the most current and therefore applicable. All others should have a notation that says “Superceded By.”
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