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How to Calculate a Wing's Center of Gravity

Airplane wings must be in equilibrium to create lift that produces flight. Equilibrium means that the center of gravity is centered so that the wing can function properly. Aviation engineers check and recheck this calculation before completing a plane to assure that it safely lifts off and maintains its flight path. Use a center-of-gravity (CG) calculator to accurately find the center.

Instructions

- 1
  Use a wing span, CG calculator. First obtain many different variables to plug into the calculator to compute your result.
- 2
  Find the wing span and wing area. Keep the measurement in the same units. Find the mean aerodynamic chord (MAC) height and distance. The MAC height is the length of the middle of the wing, and the distance is the length from the middle of the wing to the edge.
- 3
  Find the tip chord and sweep of the wing. The tip chord is the height of the wing on the end, while the sweep is the difference between the shortest part of the wing and the longest part.
- 4
  Find the center of gravity distance, which is one half of the height of the wing.
- 5
  Input your variables into the calculator and compute the center of gravity of the wing.
- 6
  Calculate using a formula for the center of gravity if that is preferred. You must fill in the three formulas to find the resulting CG for the wing.
  
  MAC = Tip Chord - 2 X ((Tip Chord - Wing Height) X (.5 Tip Chord + Wing Height)/ (3 X (Tip Chord + Wing Height)))
  
  MAC Balance Point = MAC/6
  
  Center of Gravity = MAC Balance Point X MAC+ Sweep

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