What is weight and balance and why must CG stay within specified limits?

• A. Weight and balance determine the tax and insurance; CG ensures the airplane flies legally.
• B. Weight and balance determine stability and controllability; improper CG can make airplane hard to control or stall.
• C. Weight and balance relate to fuel price; CG relates to engine wear.
• D. Weight and balance concerns only passenger comfort.

Answer: (B)

Weight and balance is about how the airplane’s weight is distributed around the aircraft and how that distribution affects how it behaves in flight. The center of gravity is the point where the total weight acts; when it sits within the approved forward-to-aft limits, the airplane has predictable stability and controllability. If the CG moves outside those limits, elevator authority can be reduced or the aircraft can become too nose-heavy or too tail-heavy, making pitch control harder or the handling too touchy. This can lead to problems during critical phases like takeoff, approach, and landing, and it can change stall characteristics in ways that increase the risk of loss of control. Keeping the CG within specified limits ensures safe, predictable performance and proper stall margins. The other choices mix in unrelated factors like taxes, insurance, fuel price, or passenger comfort, which aren’t the reasons CG limits exist.