Matthew
Touchdown! Greaser!
This came up today: the W&B document must be in the aircraft - can it be a copy or does it have to be the signed original?
W&B document question
- Thread starter Matthew
- Start date
There's no regulatory requirement to have the original version onboard. So long as it shows the current certified/signed empty weight and CG data with its associated equipment list it's good. This also includes all data if you use a rolling EWBCG system like a Form A, B, C system. Some mechanics are even known to reduce the original documents to a format that fits into your average POH/AFM/RFM to ensure these docs stay in the aircraft.
Half Fast
Touchdown! Greaser!
Heck, I'm not even sure what "original" means in this modern era. When my avionics shop swapped radios for me last year, they emailed me the updated W&B as a pdf scan of a spreadsheet with signature. Is "original" the first one I print out?
I keep a copy in the plane along with a updated equipment list, plus a copy in my maintenance records. The original, whatever that means, is stored on my laptop.
It means the same thing it did in past eras. Only the FAA can issue a simple document copy with the same effect of the original pen/ink signed hardcopy. Owners and operators have to follow other routes. The prevailing guidance in AC43.9 and AC120-78 touches on this. Regardless, you’ll find having the original ink-signed document on-hand is the easiest and cheapest way for your average private Part 91 owner to stay “FAA-compliant” especially for those required owner-controlled records like the 91.417 permanent records or a certified empty weight report.