Which statement correctly describes ballast and CG movement?

• A. A ballast load placed aft will move the CG toward the aft limit.
• B. Moving ballast toward forward stations moves CG forward and toward aft stations moves CG aft.
• C. A ballast load placed forward will move the CG toward the forward limit.
• D. Ballast has no effect on CG.

Answer: (B)

Ballast shifts the aircraft’s center of gravity because it adds weight at a specific location, pulling the weighted average point toward where that ballast sits. If ballast is moved forward, the overall CG moves forward; if ballast is moved toward the rear, the CG moves aft. The essential rule is that the CG tends to follow the ballast’s position, not automatically head toward a fixed limit. So moving ballast toward forward stations moves the CG forward, and moving ballast toward aft stations moves the CG aft. The statements that ballast is irrelevant or that it always moves the CG toward a limit are not accurate because the CG changes directly in response to where the ballast weight is located.