What practical steps would you take to adjust the CG during preflight planning?

• A. Recalculate fuel efficiency and pressurization levels.
• B. Review the loading manifest, reposition payload (passengers, baggage) or ballast as needed, verify fuel quantity and its effect on CG, and update the weight and balance worksheet.
• C. Change the aircraft's color to reduce drag and recalculate CG.
• D. Only update the weight and balance worksheet without adjusting payload.

Answer: (B)

Center of gravity must stay within defined limits, which means you adjust where the weight is placed before flight and reflect those changes in the calculations. Practically, you start by reviewing the loading manifest to see exactly how weight is distributed (where passengers, baggage, and cargo are located). If the balance is off, reposition payload or add ballast as needed to bring the CG into the permissible range. You also verify the actual fuel quantity and understand how it affects the CG, since fuel is a moving weight that can shift the balance depending on where it’s stored. Finally, you update the weight and balance worksheet with the current weights and moments so the calculated CG is valid for takeoff.

The other options miss essential steps. Recalculating fuel efficiency and pressurization levels addresses performance and systems, not balance. Changing the aircraft color has no impact on weight distribution. Updating the worksheet alone without adjusting payload won’t ensure the CG is within limits if the actual distribution is off.