Find the empty weight CG location for the following tricycle-gear aircraft: Each main wheel weighs 753 pounds, nosewheel weighs 22 pounds, distance between nosewheel and main wheels is 87.5 inches, nosewheel location is +9.875 inches from datum, with 1 gallon of hydraulic fluid at -21.0 inches included in the weight scale.

• A. +92.50 inches
• B. +97.25 inches
• C. +99.00 inches
• D. +96.11 inches

Answer: (D)

The location of the empty weight center of gravity is found by taking the sum of the moments of all weights about the datum and dividing by the total weight.

In this problem, the hydraulic fluid is already included in the weight scale, so we do not add an extra weight for it.

Weights and positions:

• Main gear: two wheels at 97.375 in from the datum (nosewheel is at +9.875 in, and the distance between gear is 87.5 in, so 9.875 + 87.5 = 97.375 in). Combined weight = 2 × 753 = 1506 lb.

• Nose gear: 22 lb at 9.875 in from the datum.

Total weight = 1506 + 22 = 1528 lb.

Total moment about the datum:

• Main gear moment = 1506 × 97.375 = 146,646.75 in-lb

• Nose gear moment = 22 × 9.875 = 217.25 in-lb

• Sum = 146,646.75 + 217.25 = 146,864.00 in-lb

CG location = 146,864.00 / 1528 = 96.115 inches

Rounded, the empty weight CG is about +96.11 inches from the datum.