REENO Aviation Flying Club

Weight and balance calculations are important always, but particularly when trying to maximize fuel and payload. The 172 is a very forgiving airplane with regard to balance. It is difficult to load the plane out of balance, but I am sure it can be accomplished by putting lead weights in the tail, or bringing your 425 lbs grandfather and putting him in the right seat.

The POH has all the information and graphs you need to make the appropriate loading decisions and configurations. To be clear, the POH is the actual book with the documents specific to the plane. It is in the plane and should be within reach during flight. I have circulated a ‘generic’ copy of the 172R POH. This is for training and studying purposes. Most of the tables, weights and balance numbers in this generic version are quite close, but not precise. The ultimate source is the POH in the plane. This is a dynamic document. When changes are made to the plane, things may change related to weight and balance. A new calculated weight and balance then supersedes the old. The old ones stay with the plane to be able to trace what changed. I will copy the key Info from the current weight and balance below.

The plane was also upgraded with an ‘Alamo STC’ to 180HP. This elevated the Max Take Off Weight (MTOW) to 2550. Subtract the empty weight from the MTOW and you arrive at 925.86 lbs Useful Load. We keep the plane with 35 gallons of fuel (to the bottom of the filler neck) and this results in a fuel load of 210 lbs. This leaves you with a 715.86 lbs pay load for the four seats in the plane. Depending on the weight of the pilot (you) and your passengers with luggage and all, you can fill the seats and baggage compartments. Check the POH for specific loading conditions related to baggage stations and arms, with a copy of the relevant page below.

Lastly, I have a link to my airplane setup for N357ES in my ForeFlight. This may not be perfect and you are responsible for making sure it is correct for your flight. It may help with loading the info into the app. It includes the Alamo STC and has power setting based on percentage. Refer to the table in the STC documentation for corresponding RPMs. I copied the relevant two pages below.

Here is the ForeFlight profile. Simply click on the link from your iPhone or iPad and you can import the file. Again, check over it before accepting this as gospel.

Happy and safe flying!

David