Weight and balance

[dp342b]

How do you calculate W&B if the front seats are adjustable? Meaning if you're short, slide the seat up, and vice versa.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Usually there’s a statement in the POH that the arms for the seats are in the middle of their adjustment or some other specific setting. If you want to get the actual arm for where you have the seat, you can measure from there to where you have the seat.

 

[decalogue]

Don’t over think it

 

[MooneyDriver78]

For the Mooney they give forward and aft positions, it’s about 6 inch difference.

 

[rhkennerly]

You’re normally sitting on or very near the center of gravity in our planes. Six inches would be a generous seat travel in most ga aircraft (assuming you Cessna has the seat blocks properly installed so you don’t slide off the backs of the rails on rotation…actually an issue for awhile). Fuel sloshing around the COG probably has more effect than 6 inches of seat travel in most of our planes. Like @decalgue said above, don’t over think it.

 

[Therookguy]

Just do what the POH says, there should be specific Arm lengths for the seats. Use those.

However, in the interest of "funness" you bring up a good way to teach people how to trim if you're a CFI (also a decent aerodynamics lesson). Once they get it all trimmed out and nice and stable, slide your seat all the way back or all the way forward.