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Weight & balance · Piper

Piper PA-28-161 Warrior weight and balance calculator

Enter the empty weight and CG from your aircraft's weight-and-balance record, then the people, baggage and fuel. The calculator works out the moment for each station, the takeoff, landing and zero-fuel CG, and plots them on the Piper PA-28-161 Warrior CG envelope.

StationWeightArm (in)Moment
Basic empty weight129,000
Pilot and front passenger80.527,370
Rear passengers118.10
Baggagemax 200 lb142.82,856
Fuel (usable)= 240 lb (6 lb/gal)95.022,800
Takeoff2,100 lb86.68182,026
Landingburn 2,028 lb86.38175,186
Zero fuel1,860 lb85.61159,226

CG = total moment ÷ total weight = 182,026 ÷ 2,100 = 86.68 in.

Piper PA-28-161 Warrior CG envelope with takeoff, landing and zero-fuel points828486889092941,1001,3001,5001,7001,9002,1002,3002,500CG (inches aft of datum)lbNormal · max 2,440 lbTakeoffLandingZFW
Takeoff and landing are inside the normal envelope. Forward limit at this weight 84.22 in, aft limit 93.00 in; 340 lb below maximum weight.

Piper PA-28-161 Warrior loading stations

Typical POH values (Warrior II / III) at a 2,440 lb maximum weight. Front seats at 80.5 in, rear seats 118.1, fuel at 95 (48 gal usable), baggage at 142.8 (200 lb). Maximum weight and CG limits vary by serial number — use the POH for your aircraft.

StationArm (in aft of datum)Limit
Basic empty weightfrom your W&B record—
Pilot and front passenger80.5—
Rear passengers118.1—
Baggage142.8200 lb
Fuel (usable)95.048 gal usable

Piper PA-28-161 Warrior CG envelope

Normal category — maximum 2,440 lb

  • Forward limit: 83.0 in from 1,200 to 1,950 lb, then a straight line to 87.0 in at 2,440 lb.
  • Aft limit: 93.0 in at all weights.

Worked example

With the sample numbers above — pilot and front passenger 340 lb, baggage 20 lb, fuel (usable) 240 lb and an empty weight of 1,500 lb at 86.0 in:

  1. Moments: 1,500 × 86.0 = 129,000; 340 × 80.5 = 27,370; 20 × 142.8 = 2,856; 240 × 95.0 = 22,800 (lb-in).
  2. Totals: 2,100 lb and 182,026 lb-in, so the takeoff CG is 182,026 ÷ 2,100 = 86.68 in.
  3. At 2,100 lb the envelope allows 84.22–93.00 in, so the takeoff point is inside the limits.
  4. After burning 12 gal (72 lb at 95.0 in) the landing weight is 2,028 lb with the CG at 86.38 in — still inside. Burning fuel moves this airplane's CG forward, because the fuel sits behind the CG.
Piper PA-28-161 Warrior worked example on the CG envelope828486889092941,1001,3001,5001,7001,9002,1002,3002,500CG (inches aft of datum)lbNormal · max 2,440 lbTakeoffLandingZFW

The empty weight and empty CG differ from one PA-28-161 to the next — always use the current weight-and-balance record for the tail number you are flying. Fuel is 6 lb per US gallon (avgas).

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