In which attitude should an aircraft be weighed to obtain useful weight data for determining the CG?

• A. In a nose-high climb
• B. While parked on the ground
• C. In a level flight attitude
• D. In a banked turn

Answer: (C)

Weighing an aircraft in a level flight attitude gives data that match the orientation used for CG calculations. When the airplane is level, the weight vector acts through the fuselage in the same way as in flight, and the distribution of load among the scales reflects the true longitudinal moment arms relative to the datum. If the aircraft is nose-high, nose-low, or banked, tilt changes how weight is carried by each gear and alters the moments, leading to incorrect CG data. Parking on the ground doesn’t guarantee the geometry used for CG, because it may settle in an angle that isn’t representative of flight. So, the best attitude for weighing to determine CG is a level flight attitude.