Flight Performance and Planning - Kazakhstan PPL
Flight Performance and Planning tests mass and balance, takeoff/landing performance, density altitude, fuel planning, and the ability to build a legal flight plan. Kazakhstan’s high-altitude aerodromes and hot summers make density-altitude calculations practical, not academic.
Mass and balance
- Use the aircraft’s current mass and balance data: empty mass, arm/moment, max takeoff/landing mass, CG limits.
- Total moment ÷ total mass = CG position. Check both takeoff and landing CG.
- Load fuel, passengers and baggage within limits; recalculate if fuel or load changes.
Performance and fuel
- Takeoff/landing distance increases with altitude, temperature, mass, tailwind, and runway slope/condition.
- Density altitude = pressure altitude corrected for temperature; use the POH chart, not a guess.
- Fuel plan includes taxi, trip, contingency, reserve, alternate, and final reserve; compare actual burn at waypoints.
Worked example
Empty mass 600 kg at 0.80 m; pilot 80 kg at 0.40 m; fuel 60 kg at 1.00 m; baggage 20 kg at 1.60 m. Moments: 480 + 32 + 60 + 32 = 604 kg·m. Total mass = 760 kg. CG = 604 ÷ 760 = 0.795 m. Check 0.795 m against the CG envelope; it is within limits here, but confirm maximum mass and landing CG.
Traps
Using empty mass instead of zero-fuel/basic mass; mixing lb and kg; forgetting reserve fuel; using a takeoff chart for a wet/grass runway without correction.