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3 Answers

Weight and balance aircraft document

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Aircraft Systems, General Aviation, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

Weight and balance question relating to the paperwork we have in the aircraft. 

The question I have is the listed “Aircraft Empty Weight” on my weight and balance sheet in airplane already accounting for the unusable fuel and full oil? No where seems to verify this and the POH gives the example sample problem using “Licensed Empty Weight” 

It’s a big deal for me because I want to make sure no improper calculations are drawn up and the useful load on this plane is a measly 464 lbs. So weight and balance is a very serious senecio for this plane. Let me know if you would like more elaboration. 

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3 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Mar 22, 2022

    GAMA defines standard empty weight as “Standard empty weight (GAMA)—aircraft weight that consists of the airframe, engines, and all items of operating equipment that have fixed locations and are permanently installed in the aircraft, including fixed ballast, hydraulic fluid, unusable fuel, and full engine oil”.

    You can always contact the manufacturer to determine if they use the GAMA definition for your aircraft.

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  2. Kris Kortokrax on Mar 22, 2022

    There is no easy “one size fits all” answer. It varies based on the aircraft.

    Looking at the Cessna 172 Type Certificate Data Sheet 3A12, the following note appears.

    “NOTE 1: Weight and Balance:
    Serial Nos. 172S8001 and On
    The certificated empty weight and corresponding center of gravity location must include unusable fuel of 18 pounds at 46.0 inches aft of datum, and full oil of 15.0 pounds at 13.1 inches forward of datum.”

    That would seem to indicate that for all 172 models prior to the S model, the unusable fuel and full oil are not included in the empty weight generated by the factory. I would also check with the mechanic who did the most current weighing of the aircraft (actual weighing, not just a mathematical adjustment). Ask if he included unusable fuel and full oil in the empty weight.

    If things are a critical as you suggest and the paperwork is not clear, you might want to consider having a mechanic do an actual weighing of the aircraft and note the conditions.

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  3. Bryan on Mar 28, 2022

    “Licenced Empty Weight” is what a lot of manufacturers called “Standard Empty Weight” before the GAMA (General Aviation Manufacturer’s Assocication) standardized the definition to “Standard Empty Weight.” So if your POH uses the term “licenced empty weight,” PHAK chapter 10 (page 10-5) says that’s functionally the same as “standard empty weight.”

    If you read beyond the definitions in the PHAK, the principles are important. There are two kinds of weight that go into the airplane–the kind you can control and the kind you can’t. If it’s bolted in (think engine, avionics, wings, fuel tanks, seats) or you would never take it out except to perform maintenance (think unable fuel, engine oil, hydraulic fluid), then it’s part of the basic empty weight. Everything else is part of the load (people, bags, fuel, extra oil, or anything else the plane is carrying that is intended to be easily removed by the pilot or passenger in the normal course of a flight.

    As you and others have noted, it is important to get your calculations right. But don’t make it harder than it needs to be. If it were me, I would trust the “licensed empty weight” in your POH and maintenance records unless there is something in the records that just doesn’t make sense–and if that’s the case, only a new weight and balance from a licensed mechanic would be good enough for me.

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