Cessna 172S Weight & Balance Calculator
Interactive Cessna 172S Skyhawk weight & balance: editable stations, live CG and moment, envelope check — sample data you replace with YOUR POH figures.
SAMPLE figures shown — substitute your aircraft's actual empty weight, arms and limits from its current weighing record and POH. The forward envelope tapers above 1,950 lb: two heavy front-seaters with no rear load can sit forward of limits at high weight — the case nobody expects.
| Station | Weight (lb) | Arm (in) | Moment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty aircraft (YOUR W&B sheet!) | 66,963 | ||
| Pilot & front passenger | 13,320 | ||
| Rear passengers | 0 | ||
| Fuel (53 gal usable = 318 lb max) | 11,520 | ||
| Baggage A (120 lb max) | 1,900 | ||
| Baggage B (50 lb max) | 0 |
⚠️ Not for operational decisions. This is a record-keeping and planning aid only — not certified avionics, not a source of regulatory truth. Always verify against official sources (FAA) and your operator's approved documents before flying.
Free cessna 172s weight & balance calculator: editable stations with live gross weight, moment and CG plus an envelope check — pre-loaded with clearly-labelled sample Cessna 172S Skyhawk data you replace with your own POH figures.
About Cessna 172S Weight & Balance Calculator
Weight and balance is the preflight computation with no forgiveness layer, and for the Cessna 172S Skyhawk the specifics matter: the 172S runs out of useful load before seats — full fuel (318 lb) plus four adults exceeds limits on most serials, making the fuel-vs-payload trade the everyday calculation. This calculator does the arithmetic live — every station's weight times arm, summed to moment, divided to CG — and checks the result against the type's published envelope. The loaded figures are SAMPLES (typical published values) so the tool demonstrates correctly out of the box; your aircraft's current weighing record and POH loading data are the real inputs, and the stations are editable for exactly that reason. The forward envelope tapers above 1,950 lb: two heavy front-seaters with no rear load can sit forward of limits at high weight — the case nobody expects.
How to use Cessna 172S Weight & Balance Calculator
- 1Replace the sample empty weight/arm with your aircraft's current weighing-record figures.
- 2Enter today's real loads per station (people, fuel, bags).
- 3Read weight, CG and the check; recompute for landing after fuel burn.
Why use Cessna 172S Weight & Balance Calculator?
- ✓Live arithmetic: weight × arm → moment → CG, recomputed per keystroke
- ✓Envelope check against the type's published limits (verify vs YOUR POH)
- ✓Type-specific insight: the forward envelope tapers above 1,950 lb
- ✓Editable stations — sample data swaps for your aircraft's in seconds
- ✓Free, instant, browser-only
Frequently asked questions
Can a Cessna 172 really carry four people?+
Rarely with full fuel: a typical 172S with ~830 lb useful load carries four 170-lb adults (680 lb) plus only ~150 lb of fuel — about 25 usable gallons, an hour and a half with reserves. The everyday answer is the trade this calculator makes visible: full seats means partial fuel, full fuel means three adults. Numbers vary meaningfully by serial and equipment — your aircraft's actual empty weight and arm (from the weighing record) are the inputs that matter.
Why does the tool ship with sample numbers?+
So the arithmetic demonstrates correctly before you customise it — but the samples are typical published Cessna 172S Skyhawk values, NOT your aircraft: empty weight and arm differ per serial (every repair, avionics change and repaint moves them), and the legally controlling figures are your aircraft's current weighing record and POH limits. Treat the first edit — replacing the empty-aircraft row — as part of using the tool, and keep the page with your real numbers in your flight bag.
Do I need to check CG for landing too?+
Yes — fuel burn moves the CG (toward wherever the tanks aren't), and several types are takeoff-legal but landing-illegal on the same flight plan. The two-minute habit: compute takeoff CG, then zero (or reduce) the fuel row and read the landing CG. If either end sits near a limit, the loading needs rethinking before engine start, not in the flare.
Where is this data stored?+
Everything you enter is saved in your browser's local storage on your own device — nothing is uploaded to any server. Your records stay completely private, work offline, and load instantly. Use the CSV export regularly to keep an off-device backup copy.
Can I export these records for an audit?+
Yes — one click exports your complete load sheet as a CSV file that opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. The export preserves every column exactly as entered, so you can print it, attach it to paperwork, or hand it to an inspector, buyer or insurance underwriter as a supporting summary alongside your official records.
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