Cessna 172N Skyhawk Weight and Balance Calculator
Cessna 172N Skyhawk sample loading data (POH (1978) Section 6 sample airplane): empty weight 1454 lb at 39.6 in. Station arms — front seats 37 in, rear seats 73 in, baggage 95 in, fuel 48 in. Forward CG limit rises from 35 to 38.5 inches above 1950 lb; aft limit 47.3 in; maximum weight 2300 lb. Sample data varies by serial number — these figures are a training reference, never a substitute for your aircraft's approved records.
Cessna 172N Skyhawk Weight and Balance Calculator reference last updated · reference source
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Dated static reference; no live data is fetched. Verify current source values and assumptions before relying on results.
What this tool does
Cessna 172N Skyhawk sample loading data (POH (1978) Section 6 sample airplane): empty weight 1454 lb at 39.6 in. Station arms — front seats 37 in, rear seats 73 in, baggage 95 in, fuel 48 in. Forward CG limit rises from 35 to 38.5 inches above 1950 lb; aft limit 47.3 in; maximum weight 2300 lb. Sample data varies by serial number — these figures are a training reference, never a substitute for your aircraft's approved records.
How to use the Cessna 172N Skyhawk Weight and Balance Calculator
- Check Stations: name, weight lb, moment arm inches (one per line): Empty aircraft (POH (1978) Section 6 sample airplane),1454,39.6 Front occupants,340,37 Rear occupants,0,73 Baggage,20,95.
- Check Fuel onboard (US gallons): 30.
- Check Fuel density (lb/US gallon): 6.
- Check Fuel moment arm (inches): 48.
- Check Entered minimum CG (inches): 35.
- Check Entered maximum CG (inches): 47.3.
- Check Entered maximum weight (lb): 2300.
- Review the Cessna 172N Skyhawk Weight and Balance Calculator result and its exact-value comparison table.
- Verify assumptions before applying the result.
Formula
weight=sum station weights+fuel gallons×density; moment=sum(weight×arm); CG=total moment/total weight
- stations
- Stations: name, weight lb, moment arm inches (one per line)
- fuel
- Fuel onboard (US gallons)
- density
- Fuel density (lb/US gallon)
- arm
- Fuel moment arm (inches)
- minCg
- Entered minimum CG (inches)
- maxCg
- Entered maximum CG (inches)
- maxWeight
- Entered maximum weight (lb)
Generic editable example, NOT aircraft-certified data. Real CG envelopes often vary with weight; entered rectangular limits do not model a full envelope.
Worked example
Cessna 172N Skyhawk Weight and Balance Calculator: Stations: name, weight lb, moment arm inches (one per line) = Empty aircraft (POH (1978) Section 6 sample airplane),1454,39.6 Front occupants,340,37 Rear occupants,0,73 Baggage,20,95; Fuel onboard (US gallons) = 30; Fuel density (lb/US gallon) = 6; Fuel moment arm (inches) = 48; Entered minimum CG (inches) = 35; Entered maximum CG (inches) = 47.3; Entered maximum weight (lb) = 2300. Cessna 172N Skyhawk sample loading data (POH (1978) Section 6 sample airplane): empty weight 1454 lb at 39.6 in. Station arms — front seats 37 in, rear seats 73 in, baggage 95 in, fuel 48 in. Forward CG limit rises from 35 to 38.5 inches above 1950 lb; aft limit 47.3 in; maximum weight 2300 lb. Sample data varies by serial number — these figures are a training reference, never a substitute for your aircraft's approved records.
Inputs
- Stations: name, weight lb, moment arm inches (one per line)Empty aircraft (POH (1978) Section 6 sample airplane),1454,39.6 Front occupants,340,37 Rear occupants,0,73 Baggage,20,95
- Fuel onboard (US gallons)30
- Fuel density (lb/US gallon)6
- Fuel moment arm (inches)48
- Entered minimum CG (inches)35
- Entered maximum CG (inches)47.3
- Entered maximum weight (lb)2300
Result
- Within reference envelope?Within reference limits — verify current aircraft POH
- Total weight (lb)1,994
- Total moment (lb-in)80,698.4
- Center of gravity (inches)40.47
- Weight-dependent forward CG limit (inches)35.44
Cessna 172N Skyhawk sample stations and envelope
| Reference | Value |
|---|---|
| Record | POH (1978) Section 6 sample airplane |
| Empty weight lb | 1454 |
| Empty arm in | 39.6 |
| Front seats arm in | 37 |
| Rear seats arm in | 73 |
| Fuel arm in | 48 |
| Baggage arm in | 95 |
| Maximum weight lb | 2300 |
| Aft CG in | 47.3 |
Results explained
- Within entered rectangular limits?
- Within entered rectangular limits? from the formula above. Generic editable example, NOT aircraft-certified data. Real CG envelopes often vary with weight; entered rectangular limits do not model a full envelope.
- Total weight (lb)
- Total weight (lb) from the formula above. Generic editable example, NOT aircraft-certified data. Real CG envelopes often vary with weight; entered rectangular limits do not model a full envelope.
- Total moment (lb-in)
- Total moment (lb-in) from the formula above. Generic editable example, NOT aircraft-certified data. Real CG envelopes often vary with weight; entered rectangular limits do not model a full envelope.
- Center of gravity (inches)
- Center of gravity (inches) from the formula above. Generic editable example, NOT aircraft-certified data. Real CG envelopes often vary with weight; entered rectangular limits do not model a full envelope.
Frequently asked questions
The published sample: 1454 lb at 39.6 in (POH (1978) Section 6 sample airplane). Your aircraft's empty weight and arm will differ — sample data varies by serial number and equipment.
At arm 48 inches; 30 US gallons at the entered 6 lb/gal adds 180 lb and 8,640 lb-in of moment.
2300 lb in the sample data used here. Confirm the limit for your model year and serial number in the POH/AFM limitations section.
Yes in the reference data: 35 inches up to 1950 lb, rising linearly to 38.5 inches at 2300 lb. The aft limit is 47.3 inches.
No. This is a sample-data training reference, not flight authorization. Use your aircraft's current approved loading records, the full POH/AFM limitations, seat positions, fuel and performance checks before flight.