1 · Aircraft
Data revision: Cessna 172S POH Section 6 — platform-verified baseline
This template uses authoritative station arms, weight limits, and CG envelope data for the Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP (Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 HP) in standard configuration, sourced from the Cessna 172S Pilot's Operating Handbook Section 6. The empty weight and CG shown are representative values only — your aircraft's actual empty weight and CG are in its current FAA-approved weight-and-balance record. Verify all values against the current records for your specific aircraft before flight. Aircraft of the same model may have different empty weights, CG positions, equipment, and limitations.
Source: Cessna 172S Pilot's Operating Handbook, Section 6 (Weight and Balance) · Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 HP, standard configuration · Reviewed 2026-07-28
These are representative training figures, not this aircraft's approved data. Confirm the checkbox above before relying on any result.
2 · Loading worksheet
| Station | Weight / Fuel (lb) | Arm (in) | Moment | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic empty aircraft Enter your aircraft's actual empty weight from its current weight-and-balance record. | 41.0 | 68,183 | — | |
Pilot (front left) | 37.0 | 6,290 | ≤ 400 | |
Front passenger (front right) | 37.0 | 0 | ≤ 400 | |
Rear passengers Combined limit 400 lb | 73.0 | 0 | ≤ 400 | |
Fuel (usable) 53.0 gal × 6 = 318 lb | 48.0 | 15,264 | — | |
Baggage area 1 Max 120 lb | 95.0 | 0 | ≤ 120 | |
Baggage area 2 Max 50 lb | 123.0 | 0 | ≤ 50 | |
| Ramp total | 2,151 | CG 41.7 | 89,737 | max 2,558 |
3 · Results
Ramp
2,151 lb
CG 41.7 in
- Weight margin
- 407 lb
- Fwd margin
- 4.7 in
- Aft margin
- 5.6 in
Takeoff condition: 2,144 lb. Center of gravity 41.7 in. Within the entered weight limit. Within the entered CG limits.
Takeoff: Within the entered weight limit; within the entered cg limits.
Verify these values against the current approved records for the specific aircraft.
4 · CG envelope
Ramp: 2151 lb, CG 41.7 in, inside the entered envelope
See your complete CG story
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Fuel-burn simulator
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Ramp / takeoff / landing
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Checkride questions
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Related lessons (Student)
Safety notice
The SkeyeMentor Weight & Balance Calculator is an educational and planning aid. It does not replace the Pilot's Operating Handbook, approved Airplane Flight Manual, current aircraft weight-and-balance records, equipment list, aircraft limitations, applicable regulations or pilot-in-command responsibility. Verify every value for the specific aircraft before flight. “Within entered limits” means only that the calculation falls within the values currently stored in this profile — it is not a determination that the aircraft is airworthy or the flight is safe.
Understanding Weight & Balance
What Is Aircraft Weight and Balance?
Weight and balance describes how much an aircraft weighs and where that weight is distributed along its length. Every item aboard — the empty aircraft, fuel, occupants, and baggage — has a weight and an arm, which is its distance from a fixed reference point called the datum. Weight multiplied by arm gives a moment, a measure of the item’s turning effect. Adding all the moments and dividing by the total weight locates the center of gravity, the single point at which the whole aircraft would balance.
Why Weight and Balance Matters
Checking only the total weight is not enough. An aircraft can be under its maximum weight yet outside its center-of-gravity limits, within its CG limits yet over a weight limit, or within the overall limits yet over an individual baggage-compartment limit. Each of these situations is checked separately, because weight and balance are two different questions that must both be answered from the same loading.
How to Calculate Moment
A moment is Weight × Arm. If an occupant weighing 170 pounds sits at an arm of 37 inches from the datum, that station contributes 170 × 37 = 6,290 pound-inches of moment. Some handbooks scale moments by a constant (a moment index) to keep the numbers small; the underlying relationship is unchanged.
How to Calculate Center of Gravity
The center of gravity is Total Moment ÷ Total Weight. After summing the weights and the moments of every station, dividing the total moment by the total weight returns a single arm, expressed in inches from the datum. That arm is the loaded CG for the condition you entered.
What Is the CG Envelope?
The CG envelope is the range of allowable center-of-gravity positions plotted against weight. It has a forward limit and an aft limit, and those limits often change with weight, which is why the envelope is drawn as a shape rather than two straight lines. A loading that plots inside the shape is within the entered limits; a loading that plots outside it is beyond the limits stored in the profile and calls for reloading or recomputation.
Ramp, Takeoff, and Landing Weight
These three conditions can differ and are checked individually. Ramp weight includes the fuel later burned during taxi. Takeoff weight is the ramp weight minus that taxi fuel. Landing weight is the takeoff weight minus the fuel expected to burn in flight. A loading may fall within limits at one condition and outside them at another, so each condition is evaluated on its own.
Fuel and CG
Burning fuel reduces the total weight and also moves the center of gravity, because fuel sits at its own arm. Whether the CG moves forward or aft as fuel burns depends on the geometry of the fuel system relative to the datum. This is why the CG must be checked not only at takeoff but through the range of expected fuel states.