A fundamental maintenance procedure, aircraft weighing establishes accurate empty weight and center of gravity for safe operation, documentation, and performance planning after manufacture, repair, or modification. The precision and repeatability of the process make weight-and-balance verification a standard requirement across the industry.
In simplified terms, the aircraft is positioned level on calibrated platform scales or load cells, with configuration standardized (e.g., fuel set per procedure, oil and fluids as specified, equipment list verified, chocks removed). Scales are zeroed, individual wheel or jack-point readings are recorded, and total weight and moment are calculated to derive the CG relative to the defined datum. Environmental and setup factors (leveling, tire pressure, temperature) are controlled to limit error, and results are documented for logbooks and flight planning. If readings indicate an out-of-tolerance condition, corrective actions (load redistribution or ballast) are applied and verified by re-weighing.