Weight & Balance Handbook
Aircraft performance
Weight & Balance Handbook
FAA weight-and-balance principles and calculations; the FAA catalog also provides an October 2025 addendum.
- Publication number
- FAA-H-8083-1B
- Publisher
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Access
- Free official publication
- Best for
- Aircraft performance
Purpose and audience
About this handbook
A technical guide to weight, balance, center of gravity, loading calculations, equipment changes, and their effect on aircraft performance.
Who should use it
Student pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, instructors, and anyone calculating aircraft loading and center of gravity.
Key subjects
What you’ll learn
Weight and center-of-gravity principles
Loading computations and graphs
Aircraft weighing procedures
Effects of alterations and equipment changes
Practical study
How to use it in training
Work the examples, then repeat the process with the loading documents and limitations for an aircraft you actually use.
- Set an objective. Choose the chapter or topic that supports the next lesson, task, or operating decision.
- Read actively. Mark definitions, diagrams, limitations, and questions to discuss with an instructor or qualified professional.
- Apply the material. Work a scenario, calculation, briefing, simulator exercise, or supervised practical task.
- Verify current information. Check regulations, official notices, charts, and approved aircraft or equipment documents.
Edition awareness
Revision and authority notes
The FAA catalog may include an addendum. Always use the aircraft’s current approved weight-and-balance data for operational calculations.
Directory review date: August 1, 2026
Continue studying
