What is the net weight at tail gear in pounds?

• A. 1,970 pounds
• B. 2,000 pounds
• C. 1,800 pounds
• D. 2,050 pounds

Answer: (A)

When an aircraft sits on three gear points, the vertical loads on nose, main, and tail gears must sum to the total weight. The net weight at the tail gear is simply the remaining load after you subtract the known nose-gear and main-gear reactions from the total weight. In practice, you weigh or are given the total weight and the loads on the other two gears, then compute tail gear load as total weight minus (nose gear load plus main gear load).

For example, if the total weight is 6,000 pounds, the nose gear carries 1,900 pounds, and the main gear carries 2,130 pounds, the tail gear load would be 6,000 − (1,900 + 2,130) = 1,970 pounds. This is the value you’d report as the net weight at tail gear. If the total weight or the other gear loads change, you’d perform the same subtraction with those numbers.