How would you weigh a plane without scales?

Just a question on creativity! There are several ways, one park the plane on a platform attached to a steal lever with a weight platform on the other end, add weights until the bar is level. You now know the weight of the plane. (Like using a "see-saw" when you were a kid.). Another way would be to attach a rope to a hook at the balance point of the plane. Route the rope to a pulley route the other end to a platform to which you add weight. When the plane lifts, you have the weight. I also know you could place the plane on a barge, measure how much water is displaced by the addition of the plane. Calculate the weight.

Now for the one I really like and actually should work.

Use a tire pressure gauge and a ruler.

Find the tire pressure of each tire using a gauge.

Measure the area of the tire rubber that touches the ground, using the ruler.

Plug in the values of all tires, one by one, by using the Physics formula, pressure equals force divided by surface area (P = F/A). In this instance, the force is equal to the weight an object asserts on the tires.

Solve the equation by rearranging the values to read that force equals the surface area times tire pressure (F = P x A). When you multiply square inches (surface area) by pounds per square inch (tire pressure), the square inches cancel out and you are left with pounds, which is the weight each tire is carrying.

Add together the values of all the tires to get the combined weight of the airplane.

Done!

OK, I stole that one from e-how

http://www.ehow.com/how_7248259_weigh-plane-scale....

The point is, they just want to check your logic, not your aircraft knowledge.... Good Luck!

PS - you could just check the weight and balance sheet! But then nobody reads these days! :-)

Or be really smart . Since they didn't say airplane, a plane is simply defined by three points in space, thus it does not have weight!

Due to regulations when aircraft are weighed as part of their schedule it must be indoors(eg a hangar) otherwise wind flow around the aircraft could give false readings.As for the procedure they put pressure pads under the wheels ,a computer then interprets the pressure exerted into a weight(technically speaking it's actually a mass) just like your bathroom scales but on a much bigger scale.

It's about as simple as that really.

There are two easy says. Look for a plate that gives gross weight or, contact the manufacturer with the plane's serial number and have them give you the gross weight. It could also be a trick question. Possible answer is that a plane does not have scales because it's not a reptile, fish, etc.

I would weigh it the same way as I would a plane with scales. Even though I have never seen a plane with scales, it would make sense in a way for better wind resistance moving forward and it would certainly decrease fuel consumption with a good tail wind. =)

I'm not sure how the interviewer would respond, but I'd probably say something like this:

If I were to encounter a plane with scales, I'd probably ask the owner if he meant to build a submarine;-)

I think this is a question to trick you. The interviewer is not really asking for the exact measurement of the plane, but in fact the method of calculation itself. The biggest mistake here is to try and actually answer the question with something that is exact or prescriptive. Rather think from mathematical perspective.

a) you don't have the information as to what is the size of the plane?

b) the weight of the plane is dependent if it is in air or on the ground?

c) You don't know if the plane in question is a cargo plane or a passenger plane.

d) You don't know if the plane is fueled or empty?

There are several other variables that are impacting the overall weight of the plane to give an exact answer. Hence if I were to answer this question I would say that the weight of a plane is actually

f(x) = plane wight when empty when on ground + weight of the passengers + weight of the cargo on the plane + the weight of the fuel.

Again don't try and answer in terms of how many tons it is but try answering it in terms of the function of x. Going to the question the modifier here is "how" and not "what"?

I don't. If the aircraft required a weight check, there would be scales available.

You could use many methods to guesstimate, but guessing is what it would be.

I'd use fulcrums and water containers. The length of the levers is known, and the weight of water is known . 1kg per liter. The rest is simple math. 1kg = 2.2 lbs.

find the equipment list... it will have all installed parts with their arms, weights etc.... wgt times arm =moment ; it will be there, or find the W&B form that's current, then go from there. good luck!

Taking the weight of the parts and adding them up.