FAR 23.2100 — Weight and Center of Gravity
FAR 23.2100 requires applicants to establish safe weight and CG limits, test critical combinations, and define a repeatable empty-weight condition for Part 23 airplanes.
FAR 23.2100 is a Part 23 airworthiness standard that tells the airplane manufacturer (the applicant for a type certificate) how to establish weight and balance limits for a small airplane. While this rule isn't a pilot operating regulation, understanding it helps you appreciate why the limits in your POH/AFM exist and why staying within them matters.
The regulation requires the applicant to:
- Determine weight and CG limits that ensure safe operation of the airplane.
- Demonstrate compliance with the rest of Subpart B at the critical combinations of weight and center of gravity throughout the airplane's loading range, using tolerances the FAA accepts.
- Define the airplane's condition when empty weight and CG are measured so the process is well defined and easily repeatable.
Operationally, this is why your aircraft has published gross weight, forward and aft CG limits, and a documented empty-weight CG. Loading outside those limits puts the airplane in a regime that was never tested or certified — affecting stability, control, stall behavior, and performance.