Originally Posted by
tonto_b
One thing that confuses me though, is that when on a flight with a lot of free seats I've seen a total free-for-all once the doors are shut. I've seen the cabin crew actually encourage this. If weight distribution can be such a fine thing how is this allowed?
The flight crew really do get to feel everyone moving round the plane through their Trim Control, which they roll back and forward during the flight. It is a minor adjustment on the elevators. If they feel things are getting towards the limits of the controls they will put a stop to it, or alternatively move the fuel round a bit (by say burning off the rearward tanks to both engines) to keep their Trim in the centre. The key thing though is to get the balance correctly within limits before you start. This is all written on the documentation and left with the dispatcher at the gate, if any issue happens with the flight this is where the investigation will start. I always like it to be right in the middle of the allowable range before starting, it looks like you have been precise.
Pilot's adage is that flying is a science but trim is an art
