Aircraft Weight and Balance In Plain English 

16/16 and the tool analogy really lit a lightbulb for me, even after almost 50 years as a pilot. I knew CG, but this shed a whole new light in it. Thanks.

16 for 16. I have NEVER heard an explanation of CG like that and learned a lot today. Thank you Jason.

16:16. Weight and balance is a tough discussion to have with passenger who don’t get why they can only bring 25# worth of baggage. I once flew my daughter and her husband (6’ 4”, 285#) from Chicago to Marquette, MI. He and I had wide shoulders, too wide for the aircraft. I had to have him in the back of my Dakota and really spent some time doing W&B at the last minute on the ramp.

16/16. Always fun telling the kids to leave some items behind when they think they can pack their entire room on a trip!

Sixteen for Sixteen... W&B 101. Good stuff. Serious Stuff. Thanks Jason!

I always want an "aft cg" (within cg limits) and I am a very high time pilots. I flew in Alaska for 10 years and then I flew MD-11 jumbo jets...worldwide. Yes I have flown around the world as well (topical question). An aft cg always gives you a "slightly higher cruise speed" compared to a forward cg. Always fly within cg limits and you will be safe and fine. Blue Sky's!

16/16! One thing you mentioned on an old video that REALLY helped me visualize the authority/leverage concept was: If a door handle was in the middle of a door, we would have to work a lot harder to open that door. The distance from the handle to the hinges is a short arm. We have door handles as far away from the hinges as possible and thus, have a longer arm. Thanks for this video, incredibly important to know! See you tomorrow for 17!

16 of 16! Leverage and tool analogy really made this concept click for me.

👍16 for 16. For a Rusty pilot prepping to get back in the air this series is a wonderful primer and reminders of areas to delve deeper into where we are weakest as we strive for Mastery. ❤️😎👍

16/16 - yet another excellent topic and video!

Excellent Video Jason. Thank You.

So smooth and clear with something so dry. Great instructor.

WOW Jason, I've been flying GA for 12 years, instructed for 2 of those but I have never heard the aft CG/length of arm to tail analogy in relation to leverage! I will teach that from now on, that makes so much more practical sense & includes the important of the tail surfaces during recovery maneuvers!

Great stuff, as always, Jason: I used your door handle analogy during my Instrument Check ride oral a couple of years back. The DPE though it was great!

16/16. This is a great way to picture the cg and thank you for clarifying the speed difference in an aft cg, I knew it was a major increase but didn’t know it was so minimal. My school does wb before every flight and it makes even more sense now. Thank you!

16/16 Jason you make everything sound so easy. Love the tools analogy! Will be signing up for your online ground school when I start my FAA PPL conversion.

16/16 Finally caught up! Wonderful series, thank you EVERYONE AT MZEROA for all of the work you have put into this series.

16/16! Another great lesson!

16/16 another great metaphorical explanation, Jason. And chopsticks work the same way! Thanks for the outstanding pedagogy! Blessings you and the team.Tim

This was the best, cleanest explanation of "why" related to W&B; thanks, it was really eye-opening!

16/16 what a great explanation!!! You make things so more understandable! Thank you!!!

16/16 Best explanation i have ever heard in 40 years of flying Thanks so much!

Great video and a really good way for me to understand weight and balance in a new way, thanks again, Jason.

16/16…..gosh what a great explanation…..your videos explain things so well !!! 😊 Thank you!

16 for 16 Jason, continuing with IFR training.

16 for 16!!! this is such an important detail!

16/16! First video I watch every morning!

Hey Jason, I am 16 for 16! 😊

Really appreciate this video!

This is the easiest way I have found to describe the weight and balance!

Great series! 16/16!

16 for 16. As a student pilot I definitely noticed the difference when I took my son along with me in the back seat diring a lesson on our C172. The elevator needed more deflection at rotation and more at landing, caused by not onlythe CG but the additional weight.. Great video as always.

I'm 16/16. When I started my pilot training all I knew about weight and balance was There is paperwork in the folder about W&B in the folder that I needed. But my ground school, CFI, and Jason made a big difference in my perception of weight and balance. Thank you all. These are great videos. 👍

Awesome lesson! 16 for 16

16/16 headed for 31/31. Great lesson! Well explained

Great explanation !

16 for 16, still trying to catch up. What an interesting way to describe CG, by relating it to the flight controls that actually provide the leverage for recovery. I have only been taught to measure CG from the datum. I love seeing this perspective.

16/16 - still with you..

16:16. Enjoying and looking forward for more interesting days

Dude that totally makes sense! I love this explanation.

16/16. Thank you for the "Ah ha!" moment

Very helpful thanks

🛑✈️📖✈️🛑 Jason, Another great job kudos to you sir. 16/16 👍 (Let's never get tired of learning!) 🛫🙏🛬

Amazingly clear. Thank you.

16/16! This must be why my Dad would load us up with youngest kids in back ((in a Piper Cherokee 6)

16/16, Jason. You probably should have reminded people that the CG is the point around which the aircraft rotates on all axes. That would help explain why the arm from CG to tail is so important.

Best explanation of CG 👍🏻

Brilliant

16 for 16 👍 Great info especially for guys like me whom build and design our own Flying Radio Control Model Airplanes !

16 / 16 over halfway there. You make it so easy. Thanks.

16 for 16! Great analogy with the tools! I hadn’t heard that before. Also, I always thought the greatest problem with an aft CG, particularly out of limits, is that a stall may be unrecoverable!

16 4 16 hello Jason, I was a day late and an hour short but I’m all caught up now. I had a busy day of flying and practising in the old Cherokee . Fabulous use of terms and analogies with your explanations.Just a note to mention if we are too far forward with our Cof G we must pay close attention to running out of elevator authority in the event that we may have to do an aborted takeoff on a short filled with possible obstacles to avoid. Just a thought ,

16/16 - In training I got caught up too much in the calculation, thanks for bringing this back to the basics and the "why" it's important. I'm loving the SPC

16/16. Funny story. After I got my Pilot certificate I wanted my first flight to be with my wife. I told her that I needed her actual weight of her purse in order to accurately calculate the CG. I know...Im kinda an A** lol Funny part is her purse was loaded with about 18lbs of coins from her job (Bartender). Well we were able to fly thankfully. lol. Great Stuff Jason.....

16/16 and lovin' it!!

16/16. Great job

16-4-16/ In any engineering design, one of the most important disciplines is called mass properties engineering. We make the envelopes that the A/C w&b falls into and assessing airworthiness of the A/C. When GA upgrades the A/C, ie panel, the A/C is recertified for flight and updated W&B by the authorized repair station. Just a fyi.

16/16 Never really heard the rear CG being faster but makes sense to prefer a slight forward CG for safety.

I have yet to find 1 video on the whole internet for years that explains weight and balance on a pusher.

16/16 the heaviest people should be the pilot and co-pilot. At 350 lbs, I would have useful purpose sitting in the front. 😀 the farther forward the CG, the more effective the level. Tow truck and crane operators learn the CG concept really well.

16/16!

16 /16. Oh yeah!,,,,

Solo crossX tomorrow. My CFI does a great job of covering these topics, but it never hurts to hear another example. When talking about leverage, I like to think of opening a door. You can open a door easier if the knob is near the latch instead of the non being near the hinge.

16/16 :-)

16 for 16. Thank you!

16 4 16. Fuel and your tanks play a factor too

16/16.

16 for 16, thanks

16/16

16/16 and half way through GSA.

The within the CG limits is more critical on the smaller the plane. The calculations are more critical on the smaller planes. I had to do W&B on my General test for my A&P.

Thanks my teacher you are mental trainer for me Please i want to be airline pilot Yet i did join to any school or center for training but now only i am planing so please what would you advise to me

I believe you may be confusing the two key concepts of Longitudinal stability (LS) and control authority. While an aft CG reduces the moment arm of the elevator, it does NOT reduce total elevator authority. If anything it makes the aircraft MORE responsive to any given elevator input. The why, completely escapes this video. LS is a function of CG because of the relationship between CG, Aerodynamic center (AC), and the downforce required from the tail. As the CG moves aft towards the AC the static margin or resistance of the A/C to pitch changes reduces and the required downforce from the elevator is reduced. This "unloading" of the elevator means that any given movement has the ability to create a much greater pitch response. The inability of an aircraft in recovering from high alpha post stall situations at aft CG's also has more to do with the CG's postion in relationship to the A/C than the distance between elevator an CG. Simply put an aircraft with a CG aft of the A/C will tend to diverege in pitch rather than return to it's trimmed state. Essentially there IS NO trimmable stable state available to the pilot.

16for16

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Or “Plane English” as it were! Sorry, Jason, I couldn’t help myself!

day 16 of 31

Which CG gives you a higher speed for a set manifold pressure...a forward cg or an aft cg...assume both cg's are within cg range. Everyone please reply!

Getting caught up. 16:16

Ok Jason im16 for 16

16 for 16!

Who offers certified online aviation weight and balance load control courses?

Day 16 of 16 of the 31 day safer pilot challenge.

In plane English

It’s funny how people will do anything to get an extra 3 knots. It’s not perceivable and you arrive at your destination a minute or two sooner. Like you eluded to, is it worth it? I say not

The red star makes it a glorious Soviet fighter, fighting for the motherland

16 for 16…….

That is the most difficult weight and balance explanation that I have ever come across. You've not even looked at cg profile charts. And those CG stars were way out. The whole presentation was just ridiculous. 20 years experience aircraft Weights Engineer.

16/16. Always fun telling the kids to leave some items behind when they think they can pack their entire room on a trip!

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