Posted 9 years ago
GeodeJem
(404 items)
Property of U.S. Government 70272 CG-4A LRW-1 Load adjuster for aircraft , never seen one before. In its original leather marked case its essentially a slide rule.
How old this is I haven't a clue, can anyone direct me to a good search for information on this?
Each plane has a "CG"(Center of Gravity) empty of payload. It's balance point you might understand better. When you load things aft, the CG moves aft & visa versa loading forward. Each plane has a limit for the CG to move fore or aft to be safe to fly & control. Say, you have 1000 lb. of ganja in 50 lb. bales. You take out your trusty load slide rule & figure out how many bales can fit & where to load them keep within the the fore & aft CG limits. Ready to leave & find that the Yahoos have put 3 bales in the pilot's seat ! They can't go aft because it would throw the plane out of balance & so have to be left behind. Also, a plane has a max. load it can carry (So have to leave another bale behind !) & the more weight, the more fuel consumed. Well we got 16 bales (800 lbs.) off ! All this has to be computed & each model plane is different. Any questions ?
Thank you blunderbuss2 most informative.
The CG-4a was a transport glider that was used in WW2. Your rule should have an outline of the fuselage on one side with reference marks for proper loading. These planes were used in the D-Day invasion and built by Waco as well as other manufacturers. Pretty cool find!