Cessna 152 weight and balance
A two-seat trainer with a genuinely small useful load, and the one type where the FORWARD CG limit is the one that catches people out: two heavy occupants with the seats run forward and the tanks low can put the CG ahead of the limit even though the aeroplane is nowhere near its 1,670 lb maximum. The 152 is certificated in the utility category only - there is no normal-category envelope.
Flying under EASA rules? This is the C152's mass and balance: the same moments and the same centre-of-gravity limits.
Check this is your variant before you use a number
Modelled on the 1978 Model 152 POH and TCDS 3A19 Rev 50: maximum weight 1,670 lb with no ramp allowance. Serial 15282032 and on (1979 and later) are approved to a 1,675 lb RAMP weight - 5 lb more on the ground only. Long-range tanks (37.5 gal usable) are an option this profile does not model; the standard tanks hold 24.5 usable gallons. The A152 Aerobat is a different, acrobatic-category aeroplane.
C152 weight and balance calculator
Utility category only - this type has no second envelope.
The 152 is certificated in the utility category only. Spins are approved within these limits; there is no normal category.
Loaded result
Within limitsCessna 152 · Utility category · data checked 2026-09-29
The printed sheet carries the aircraft, the date, every station, all three points of the flight and the full safety notice - free, no sign-up, and it prints offline.
CG envelope
Takeoff and landing plotted against the Cessna 152 utility-category envelope.
- Utility envelope
- Takeoff
- Landing
- Fuel burning off
Each point is labelled IN or OUT, and both must sit inside the envelope.
The bar through the takeoff point is how far the CG slides as the adjustable seats run through their published travel: 33.19 to 34.63 in. Both ends stay inside the envelope.
Datum: fuselage station 0.0, the front face of the firewall. All arms are inches aft of that (TCDS 3A19). Full limits and sources
Loading
Weights in pounds; fuel in US gallons. Arms are fixed by the airframe.
The POH sample airplane (Figure 6-6): 1,136 lb at moment 34.0 x1000, i.e. arm 29.93 in. It is a printed example, not your airframe - replace both numbers from your aircraft W&B record.
POH Figure 6-3: occupant CG 39 in with the seats set for an average occupant, range 33 to 41 in over the seat travel.
Your rule sets it: under 14 CFR 91.151 (VFR), at least 30 minutes at normal cruising speed by day and 45 at night; the EASA and UK minutes are on the fuel reserves page.
Loadouts
Saved on this device only - a loadout is never sent to us.
Breakdown
Weight x arm = moment, per station.
Certificated limits
Datum: fuselage station 0.0, the front face of the firewall. All arms are inches aft of that (TCDS 3A19).
Utility category
The 152 is certificated in the utility category only. Spins are approved within these limits; there is no normal category.
| Maximum ramp weight | 1,670 lb |
|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight | 1,670 lb |
| Maximum landing weight | 1,670 lb |
| Weight (lb) | Forward limit (in) | Aft limit (in) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,350 | 31.00 | 36.50 |
| 1,670 (max) | 32.65 | 36.50 |
Source: FAA TCDS 3A19 Rev 50, section IX (Model 152).
Station arms
| Station | Arm (in) | Range (in) | Max (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front seats (pilot + passenger) | 39.0 | 33.0 to 41.0 | - |
| Fuel (usable) | 42.0 | - | 147 |
| Baggage area 1 | 64.0 | - | 120 |
| Baggage area 2 | 84.0 | - | 40 |
Baggage areas 1 + 2 combined: 120 lb.
Fuel: 24.5 US gallons usable at 6.00 lb per gallon = 147 lb. Only usable fuel is charged to the fuel station - the unusable remainder is already inside the certificated empty weight.
POH Figure 6-3: occupant CG 39 in with the seats set for an average occupant, range 33 to 41 in over the seat travel. The calculator evaluates the envelope at both ends of that travel and says so when the verdict changes, because a load can be inside the envelope with the seats set for an average occupant and outside it with the seats run full aft.
Worked example
Two occupants at 300 lb, full standard tanks (24.5 usable gallons) and 80 lb in baggage area 1, burning 10 gal on the trip.
Empty weight 1,136 lb at 29.93 in. The POH sample airplane (Figure 6-6): 1,136 lb at moment 34.0 x1000, i.e. arm 29.93 in. It is a printed example, not your airframe - replace both numbers from your aircraft W&B record.
| Item | Weight (lb) | Arm (in) | Moment (in-lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weight (from your W&B record) | 1,136 | 29.9 | 34,000 |
| Front seats (pilot + passenger) | 300 | 39.0 | 11,700 |
| Fuel (usable) | 147 | 42.0 | 6,174 |
| Baggage area 1 | 80 | 64.0 | 5,120 |
| Baggage area 2 | 0 | 84.0 | 0 |
| Ramp | 1,663 | 34.27 | 56,994 |
| Takeoff | 1,663 | 34.27 | 56,994 |
| Less trip fuel (10 gal) | -60 | 42.0 | -2,520 |
| Landing | 1,603 | 33.98 | 54,474 |
At 1,663 lb the Utility-category limits are 32.61 to 36.50 in, so a takeoff CG of 34.27 in is inside the envelope. Burning the 10 gal of trip fuel at the 42.0 in fuel arm moves the CG forward to 33.98 in at 1,603 lb, against limits of 32.30 to 36.50 in there. Both ends of the flight are inside the envelope, which is the check that matters.
What catches people out on the C152
- The 152 is a utility-category aeroplane, full stop. There is no second, more generous envelope to switch to - the numbers here are the only numbers.
- Watch the FORWARD limit, not the aft one. With two 170 lb occupants, the seats run full forward and low fuel, the CG can sit ahead of the forward limit at a weight several hundred pounds under maximum.
- The seats move a lot relative to a short aeroplane: the POH gives the occupant CG range as 33 to 41 in against a 39 in average, and 6 in of travel on 340 lb of occupants is over 1.2 in of CG on a 1,650 lb aeroplane.
- Baggage area 2 is placarded at 40 lb, and areas 1 and 2 together at 120 lb - so filling area 1 to its own 120 lb placard leaves nothing for area 2.
- Only 24.5 of the 26 gallons are usable. The rest is already in the empty weight.
Where every figure on this page comes from
- FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 3A19, Revision 50, 21 July 2017 (Cessna 150/152), section IX - Model 152CG range, maximum and ramp weight, seat station, baggage limit, fuel capacity and arm, datum, propeller.
- Cessna Model 152 Pilot’s Operating Handbook, 1978 Model 152, Section 6Figure 6-3 station arms and the front-seat occupant CG range, Figure 6-4 baggage placards, Figure 6-6 sample loading problem.
Figures checked - the date of this profile's last data revision, printed on every result and on the planning sheet. Each revision is explained in the corrections log.
FAA Type Certificate Data Sheets are United States government works and are in the public domain. Handbook figures are quoted for identification and reference; KeepBlueUp is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by any manufacturer or aviation authority. Where a figure could not be quoted from a public document it is not on this page at all.