Avielevate / DGCA CPL papers / Air Navigation / Mass and Balance
Mass and Balance — DGCA CPL Air Navigation
Chapter GN14 of the Air Navigation paper. 75 practice questions in the Avielevate bank, every one with its answer key, filterable into a timed set on this chapter alone.
What this chapter covers
The learning objectives we file Mass and Balance questions under, and how many sit behind each. These come straight out of the bank and are regenerated whenever it changes — they are what is there today, not a claim.
| Learning objective | In the bank |
|---|
| __GEN__ General | 75 questions |
Sample Mass and Balance questions, answered and explained
Real questions from this chapter, with the answer marked and the reasoning written out — the same explanations you get inside the app.
0222110 · Mass and Balance
The empty mass of an aircraft is 44,800 kg. The operational items (including a standard crew mass of 1,060 kg) are 2,300 kg. If the maximum zero fuel mass is 65,500 kg, what is the maximum traffic load that can be carried?
- A20700kg
- B23000kg
- C18400kg
Why that is the answer
The **maximum zero fuel mass (MZFM)** limits the mass of the aircraft and its load when there is no usable fuel on board. Look at the diagram: zero fuel mass = **DOM + traffic load**. So the most traffic load you can ever carry is MZFM − DOM.
First build the DOM (Dry Operating Mass). It is the empty mass plus the **operational items**, which are the crew, catering, water and service equipment needed for the operation.
**DOM** = 44,800 + 2,300 = **47,100 kg**
The crew mass of 1,060 kg is already inside the 2,300 kg of operational items, so it is not added again.
**Maximum traffic load** = 65,500 − 47,100 = **18,400 kg**
So the maximum traffic load is **18,400 kg**.
0222115 · Mass and Balance
Before departure, an aircraft is loaded with 16,500 litres of fuel at a density of 780 kg/m³. This is entered on the load sheet as 16,500 kg, and the calculations are done with that figure. As a result of this error, the aircraft is:
- Alighter than calculated, and the calculated safety speeds are too high
- Bheavier than calculated, and the calculated safety speeds are too high
- Clighter than calculated, and the calculated safety speeds are too low
Why that is the answer
Fuel is measured by **volume** (litres) when it is pumped in, but mass and balance work needs its **mass** (kg). The link between them is the **density**: how many kilograms one cubic metre of fuel weighs. Jet fuel is lighter than water, so one litre of fuel weighs less than 1 kg.
**Convert the volume:** 16,500 litres ÷ 1,000 = 16.5 m³
**Real fuel mass:** 16.5 × 780 = **12,870 kg**
The load sheet shows 16,500 kg, so the aircraft is really 16,500 − 12,870 = **3,630 kg lighter** than calculated.
Take-off safety speeds (such as V1, VR and V2) are worked out from the mass on the load sheet. A heavier mass gives higher speeds. Because the mass used was too high, the speeds calculated are higher than the real, lighter aircraft needs.
So the aircraft is **lighter than calculated, and the calculated safety speeds are too high**.
**Tip:** litres × density (in kg per litre, here 0.78) gives kg directly: 16,500 × 0.78 = 12,870 kg.
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Frequently asked
How many Mass and Balance questions are there for the DGCA CPL Air Navigation paper?
Avielevate's bank carries 75 published Mass and Balance questions for Air Navigation, mapped across 1 learning objective. Every one has its answer key, and explanations are being written across the whole bank.
How much of the Air Navigation paper is Mass and Balance?
The DGCA does not publish a per-chapter breakdown of its papers, so nobody can honestly tell you — and we will not guess. What we can tell you is what students who have just sat a paper reported meeting, which is measured rather than rumoured: that is the exam recall report inside the app.
What is the best way to revise Mass and Balance?
Sit a short timed set on this chapter alone, tag how sure you were of each answer, then drill the two that actually leak marks: the ones you got right while guessing, and the ones you got wrong while confident. Avielevate does that tagging for you and puts anything you got wrong back in front of you on a spaced schedule.
The rest of the Air Navigation paper
One account covers every chapter of every paper.
← All Air Navigation chapters · All six DGCA CPL papers