Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II (2,440 lb) weight and balance
Piper’s four-seat trainer, and geometrically a very different aeroplane from a Cessna: the datum sits 78.4 in ahead of the wing, so every arm is a number in the eighties and nineties rather than the thirties and forties. Its aft CG limit is a flat 93.0 in and the fuel sits at 95.0 in, just aft of it, so burning fuel always walks the CG forward.
Flying under EASA rules? This is the PA-28-161's mass and balance: the same moments and the same centre-of-gravity limits.
Check this is your variant before you use a number
This is the 2,440 lb Warrior II - TCDS 2A13 section XVI-B, serials 28-8316001 through 28-8616057 and 2816001 through 2816109, POH Report VB-1180. Earlier Warrior IIs (28-7716001 through 28-8216300) are approved to 2,325 lb takeoff with no ramp allowance, and the Cadet to 2,325 lb / 2,332 lb ramp. If your POH says 2,325 lb, this page is not your aeroplane above that weight - the envelope below 2,325 lb is within 0.1 in of identical, but the maximum weight is not. The same applies to a 2,440 lb Warrior II fitted with Piper Kit 88050, the 2,325 lb maximum gross weight modification: 2,325 lb takeoff, 2,332 lb ramp (TCDS 2A13 NOTE 26).
PA-28-161 weight and balance calculator
Four seats, up to 200 lb of baggage, non-aerobatic operations.
Loaded result
Within limitsPiper PA-28-161 Warrior II (2,440 lb) · Normal category · data checked 2026-10-07
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 Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II (2,440 lb) normal-category envelope.
- Normal envelope
- Takeoff
- Landing
- Fuel burning off
Each point is labelled IN or OUT, and both must sit inside the envelope.
Datum: 78.4 in forward of the inboard intersection of the straight and tapered wing sections. All arms are inches aft of that (TCDS 2A13, Data Pertinent To All Models). Full limits and sources
Loading
Weights in pounds; fuel in US gallons. Arms are fixed by the airframe.
Weight from the POH flight-planning example (Section 5.5, 1,391 lb). The 86.9 in arm is an illustrative mid-range value - the POH example does not print one. Replace both from your aircraft W&B record.
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: 78.4 in forward of the inboard intersection of the straight and tapered wing sections. All arms are inches aft of that (TCDS 2A13, Data Pertinent To All Models).
Normal category
Four seats, up to 200 lb of baggage, non-aerobatic operations.
| Maximum ramp weight | 2,447 lb |
|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight | 2,440 lb |
| Maximum landing weight | 2,440 lb |
| Weight (lb) | Forward limit (in) | Aft limit (in) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,950 | 83.00 | 93.00 |
| 2,440 (max) | 88.30 | 93.00 |
Source: FAA TCDS 2A13 Rev 64, section XVI-B; POH VB-1180 Figure 6-11.
Utility category
Two seats up front only. This is the category the manoeuvres requiring higher load factors are flown in.
| Maximum ramp weight | 2,027 lb |
|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight | 2,020 lb |
| Maximum landing weight | 2,020 lb |
| Weight (lb) | Forward limit (in) | Aft limit (in) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,950 | 83.00 | 93.00 |
| 2,020 (max) | 83.80 | 93.00 |
Loading restriction. No baggage and no rear passengers. The calculator treats a load in any of those places as a violation in this category, not a caution.
Source: FAA TCDS 2A13 Rev 64, section XVI-B (2 PCLM, baggage eligible normal category only); POH VB-1180 Figure 6-11 footnote.
Station arms
| Station | Arm (in) | Range (in) | Max (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front seats (pilot + passenger) | 80.5 | - | - |
| Rear seats | 118.1 | - | - |
| Fuel (usable) | 95.0 | - | 288 |
| Baggage | 142.8 | - | 200 |
Fuel: 48.0 US gallons usable at 6.00 lb per gallon = 288 lb. Only usable fuel is charged to the fuel station - the unusable remainder is already inside the certificated empty weight.
Worked example
Two adults up front (340 lb), 38 of the 48 usable gallons and a 50 lb bag, burning 18 gal on the trip.
Empty weight 1,391 lb at 86.90 in. Weight from the POH flight-planning example (Section 5.5, 1,391 lb). The 86.9 in arm is an illustrative mid-range value - the POH example does not print one. Replace both from your aircraft W&B record.
| Item | Weight (lb) | Arm (in) | Moment (in-lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weight (from your W&B record) | 1,391 | 86.9 | 120,878 |
| Front seats (pilot + passenger) | 340 | 80.5 | 27,370 |
| Rear seats | 0 | 118.1 | 0 |
| Fuel (usable) | 228 | 95.0 | 21,660 |
| Baggage | 50 | 142.8 | 7,140 |
| Ramp | 2,009 | 88.13 | 177,048 |
| Less start, taxi and runup fuel | -7 | 95.0 | -665 |
| Takeoff | 2,002 | 88.10 | 176,383 |
| Less trip fuel (18 gal) | -108 | 95.0 | -10,260 |
| Landing | 1,894 | 87.71 | 166,123 |
At 2,002 lb the Normal-category limits are 83.56 to 93.00 in, so a takeoff CG of 88.10 in is inside the envelope. Burning the 18 gal of trip fuel at the 95.0 in fuel arm moves the CG forward to 87.71 in at 1,894 lb, against limits of 83.00 to 93.00 in there. Both ends of the flight are inside the envelope, which is the check that matters.
What catches people out on the PA-28-161
- Utility category means no baggage AND no rear passengers - the POH loading form footnotes both rows, and the TCDS makes the 200 lb baggage allowance "Eligible Normal Category only".
- The ramp weight is 2,447 lb and the takeoff weight 2,440 lb; the POH takes 7 lb off at the fuel arm for engine start, taxi and run up.
- Only 48 of the 50 gallons are usable. The other 2 gallons (12 lb at station 103.0) are already inside the certificated empty weight.
- The aft limit is a flat 93.0 in at every weight, and the forward limit only starts moving aft above 1,950 lb - so light Warriors have the full 10 in of range and heavy ones lose most of the front of it.
Where every figure on this page comes from
- FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 2A13, Revision 64, 18 September 2023 (Piper PA-28 series), section XVI-BBoth CG envelopes, normal and utility ramp/takeoff weights, seat and baggage stations, fuel capacity and arm, unusable fuel, datum, propeller.
- Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II POH, Report VB-1180, issued 13 August 1982, Section 6Figure 6-11 loading form: station arms, the 48 gal usable-fuel maximum, the 7 lb start/taxi/run-up allowance and the utility-category footnote.
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.