THEORY OF WEIGHT AND BALANCE

The theory of weight and balance is extremely simple. It is that of the familiar lever that is in equilibrium or balance when it rests on the fulcrum in a level position. The influence of weight is directly dependent upon its distance from the fulcrum. To balance the lever the weight must be distributed so that the turning effect is the same on one side of the fulcrum as on the other. In general, a lighter weight far out on the lever has the same effect as a heavy weight near the fulcrum. The distance of any object from the fulcrum is called the lever arm. The lever arm multiplied by the weight of the object is its turning effect about the fulcrum. This turning effect is known as the moment. Weight is the force generated by the gravitational attraction of the earth on the airplane. We are more familiar with weight than with the other forces acting on an airplane, because each of us have our own weight which we can measure every morning on the bathroom scale. We know when one thing is heavy and when another thing is light. But weight, the gravitational force, is fundamentally different from the aerodynamic forces, lift and drag. Aerodynamic forces are mechanical forces and the airplane has to be in physical contact with the the air which generates the force. The gravitational force is a field force; the source of the force does not have to be in physical contact with the object to generate a pull on the object. The Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off, due to structural or other limits. The analogous term for rockets is Gross Lift-Off Mass, or GLOW. MTOW is usually specified in units of kilograms or pounds, but some aircraft manufacturers also use kilogram-force (kgf) orpound-force (lbF)[1]. MTOW is the heaviest weight at which the aircraft has been shown to meet all the airworthiness requirements applicable to it. MTOW of an aircraft is fixed, and does not vary with altitude or air temperature or the length of the runway to be used for takeoff or landing. A different weight the "maximum permissible takeoff weight", or "regulated takeoff weight", varies according to flap setting, altitude, air temperature, length of runway and other factors. It is different from one takeoff to the next, but can never be higher than the MTOW.

The Maximum Ramp Weight (MRW) (also known as the Maximum Taxi Weight (MTW)) is the maximum weight authorised for manoeuvring (taxiing or towing) an aircraft on the ground as limited by aircraft strength and airworthiness requirements. It includes the weight of taxi and run-up fuel for the engines and the APU. It is greater than the maximum takeoff weight due to the fuel that will be burned during the taxi and runup operations. The difference between the maximum taxi/ramp weight and the maximum take-off weight (maximum taxi fuel allowance) depends on the size of the aircraft, the number of engines, APU operation, and engines/APU fuel consumption, and is typically assumed for 10 to 15 minutes allowance of taxi and run-up operations.