For those who missed the link in our latest newsletter, here is a copy of the article…
Weight and balance is such a critical flight safety component – so often neglected by many of us aviators.
Just imagine that the complete weight of an aircraft in flight is carefully balanced somewhere around the main wings, with a small tailplane a few meters away keeping this complex system in balance.
If the balancing point is too far away from the centre of lift, the tailplane cannot maintain this balance safely, with possible deadly consequences.
JS realised the importance of accurate loading tools when designing the JS1. Our W&B calculator was initially developed for certification flight testing, but we realised soon that this is a tool all our customers should have.
The beauty of this system is that the moment is graphically displayed within the allowable envelope – giving the pilot the exact CG position when loaded and when the water is dumped.
A great tool… but unfortunately only available if you have your PC or IPAD with you
We needed the tool on-board – and LXNAV was up to the challenge. We approached Erazem’s design team and they were keen to incorporate our calculator in their LX9000 series of flight computers. The idea from the start was that this tool must be compatible and available to all type of sailplanes, not only to JS.
After some research it became clear that there are at least two ways manufacturers select to present the envelope:
• Moment vs Weight, or
• Arm vs Weight
JS selected the Moment vs Weight, as this is the most commonly used method when using hand calculations.
LX kindly provided both options, making it easy for pilots with no need to convert from one system to the other.
LX created a very nice training video to show how the arm vs weight system is used for a Arcus, and JS made a video showing how to setup a JS3 using the moment vs weights.
This program will assist you in calculating the correct ballast in every compartment to perfectly balance your glider.
