Fore Flight Weight and Balance
- Thread starter Dterhaar
- Start date
JimParker256
Registered User
Farmersville, TX
If FF doesn't have your exact airplane, just use a blank one and enter the numbers yourself. Have the TCDS handy (plus any STCs that change gross weight and/or CG limits) and enter the data yourself. I had to do this for several airplanes before they got their database filled out, and it's not difficult – just takes some time to set up the points.
That said, I find the FF W&B thing very awkward to use. But I found a really nice app (WnB Pro) for iPhone / iPad on the App Store. It is easier to set up than FF, but it's the "everyday use" that is so much better. It has "sliders" for the weights of people and baggage, and a "gallons" slider for fuel. You enter the weight and CG limitations for each category (Normal, Utility, Aerobatic), leaving the ones that don't apply blank.
When setting up the various stations for your plane (empty weight & moment, pilot/copilot, fuel, baggage, etc.), it allows you to create separate entries for each seat (as I did) for exact weight calculations. If the weight at that station is variable (pretty much all of them except for empty weight/empty moment), it uses a "slider" control to set the weight (or gallons for fuel). Once you've set the sliders for each of the stations, the app immediately shows you (using both text and graphics) the takeoff and zero-fuel weight and CG. One thing I really like is that if you enter a load that takes the plane out of CG limits or over gross weight, it turns all the "labels" red, so you immediately know.
My plane (an experimental LSA with 1320 lb GW) has two different fuel locations (wing tanks and under-seat "aux/header" tank) so I set them up as different stations. Ditto for baggage areas (small one behind the seat, larger one behind the bulkhead). Makes it really easy to manage the loading, and to instantly recalculate how much fuel I can carry with a large passenger. Once you've finished your calculations, you can save that "profile" for later use. You can also e-mail it to yourself or someone else if you choose.
Using this app, I can literally perform a W&B calculation for a flight in less than 15 seconds. It stores all the previously used values, so I basically just have to enter the passenger's weight, the weight of any baggage, and check to see if I'm within limits with full fuel. If not, I can tap the "–" button next to the fuel slider to decrease the fuel amount in 1-gallon increments until I'm within limits. I then know exactly how much fuel I can carry for that mission. Takes less time to do than to explain. Great app, and well worth the small cost.
That said, I find the FF W&B thing very awkward to use. But I found a really nice app (WnB Pro) for iPhone / iPad on the App Store. It is easier to set up than FF, but it's the "everyday use" that is so much better. It has "sliders" for the weights of people and baggage, and a "gallons" slider for fuel. You enter the weight and CG limitations for each category (Normal, Utility, Aerobatic), leaving the ones that don't apply blank.
When setting up the various stations for your plane (empty weight & moment, pilot/copilot, fuel, baggage, etc.), it allows you to create separate entries for each seat (as I did) for exact weight calculations. If the weight at that station is variable (pretty much all of them except for empty weight/empty moment), it uses a "slider" control to set the weight (or gallons for fuel). Once you've set the sliders for each of the stations, the app immediately shows you (using both text and graphics) the takeoff and zero-fuel weight and CG. One thing I really like is that if you enter a load that takes the plane out of CG limits or over gross weight, it turns all the "labels" red, so you immediately know.
My plane (an experimental LSA with 1320 lb GW) has two different fuel locations (wing tanks and under-seat "aux/header" tank) so I set them up as different stations. Ditto for baggage areas (small one behind the seat, larger one behind the bulkhead). Makes it really easy to manage the loading, and to instantly recalculate how much fuel I can carry with a large passenger. Once you've finished your calculations, you can save that "profile" for later use. You can also e-mail it to yourself or someone else if you choose.
Using this app, I can literally perform a W&B calculation for a flight in less than 15 seconds. It stores all the previously used values, so I basically just have to enter the passenger's weight, the weight of any baggage, and check to see if I'm within limits with full fuel. If not, I can tap the "–" button next to the fuel slider to decrease the fuel amount in 1-gallon increments until I'm within limits. I then know exactly how much fuel I can carry for that mission. Takes less time to do than to explain. Great app, and well worth the small cost.
phdigger123
FRIEND
Cottage Grove, Mn
I just set up a spreadsheet on Numbers (kind of like Excel). Put in fuel quality, passenger weight, and baggage compartment weight. Calculates CG and compares it against POH data and tells you if you are okay. Quick, easy, and cheap.
