Question

Which of the following statements is true regarding weight and balance of small unmanned aircraft?

1) CG cannot change during flight
2) Lateral CG is not important to small unmanned aircraft operations
3) Operations outside weight and balance limitations may result in loss of control

Answer 1

Astronauts experience apparent weightlessness in a diving aircraft because both they and the scale are in free fall, eliminating the normal force and showing a scale reading of 0. This simulates the continuous free fall experienced in orbit, though the aircraft must periodically pull out of the dive.

The correct option is 2.

Step-by-step explanation:

To simulate the apparent weightlessness of space orbit, astronauts are trained in the hold of a cargo aircraft that is accelerating downward at g, the acceleration due to gravity. During this simulated dive, both the astronauts and the scale are in free fall at the same acceleration, therefore, the scale cannot exert a normal force on the astronauts, leading to a reading of 0 and giving them the feeling of weightlessness.

In fact, the apparent weightlessness experienced in the airplane is very similar to that in orbit. While the aircraft must continually pull out of the dive to avoid hitting the ground, a state of free fall is achieved during the parabolic maneuver. The difference in orbit, however, is that the astronauts (and the spacecraft) are in continuous free fall around the Earth, hence experiencing sustained weightlessness without the need to pull out of a dive.

The correct option is 2.