Weight Estimation Methods Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Both statements are true and the second is the reason for the first. Handling qualities and flutter analysis both need them, and they come from the same itemised mass data that gives the centre of gravity, so they cost little extra to produce.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

Both are true and the reason is exactly why. The mission fraction accounts for the fuel burned flying the stated mission and nothing else. Regulatory reserves, the diversion to an alternate, the hold, and the fuel that cannot be pumped out of the tanks are all real fuel that must be loaded, so the mission figure is increased by a few per cent before the tanks are sized.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

Both are true and the reason is the structural argument. At constant area, raising aspect ratio makes the wing longer and narrower. The root bending moment grows with span, while the chord and hence the structural depth available to resist it shrink - and bending stress varies inversely with depth. More material is therefore needed at the root, which is why high aspect ratio buys induced drag at the price of structure weight.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 are correct: zero fuel weight is operating empty weight plus payload, and the landing limit is below the take-off limit because the undercarriage is sized for touchdown. Statement 3 is wrong - operating empty weight is the aircraft ready for service and does include the crew, together with oil, catering equipment and unusable fluids. The weight without those is the manufacturer’s empty weight.

Answer: C

Correct answer: 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 describe Class I and Class II correctly. Statement 3 inverts Class III: it is the class that abandons historical regression altogether and analyses the actual defined parts. Fidelity rises through the classes precisely because the reliance on history falls, so a Class III method built on historical fractions would be a contradiction in terms.

Answer: D

The first two identify the two boundaries correctly. The third is not a general rule; expressed as a fraction of mean aerodynamic chord, envelope width depends on configuration and tail sizing rather than on absolute size.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 are correct: segment ratios multiply to give the overall weight ratio, and the cruise and loiter segments come from the Breguet range and endurance equations. Statement 3 is the trap - the mission calculation covers the mission only. Reserves, diversion and trapped fuel are added afterwards, typically as a five to ten per cent uplift.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 name the right drivers: wing weight with area, aspect ratio and design load factor, fuselage weight with wetted area and cabin pressure differential. Statement 3 is out by a factor of about five - an undercarriage is typically three to five per cent of take-off weight, not a fifth, which would be heavier than the wing.

Answer: C

Correct answer: 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 are correct: the centre of gravity moves as tanks empty in their programmed sequence, and the loading diagram exists to demonstrate that every permitted loading stays inside the envelope. Statement 3 is plainly false - where passengers sit is one of the largest sources of centre of gravity variation, which is why load sheets allocate seating by zone.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 describe weight control as it is practised: targets allocated by group, and progress reported against them at intervals. Statement 3 contradicts the first - an aircraft-level target alone leaves growth invisible until everything is added up, and gives no group any accountability for its own share.