Patent ID: 6899300

Claim:
A process for loading of fuel into an aircraft on the ground, said aircraft comprising fuel tanks distributed in the wings and the fuselage of the aircraft and at least one fuel tank disposed in the tail of the aircraft, said process making it possible at each instant of the loading to keep the center of gravity of said aircraft in an authorized range of positions along the longitudinal axis (L-L) of said aircraft and taking into account: the cargo weight MC, without fuel, carried by the aircraft; the position XC, within said authorized range, of the center of gravity of said aircraft on the ground, when only said cargo weight MC is loaded and distributed in the aircraft; and the weight of fuel PFQ necessary for the accomplishment of the mission that said aircraft is to fulfill with said cargo weight MC, wherein: an optimal position CGt to be reached for said center of gravity is determined, within said authorized range, when said cargo load MC and said weight of fuel PFQ necessary for the mission are loaded on board said aircraft; the relation (R) linking the variation in position of the center of gravity of the aircraft to the variation in weight of fuel inside said tail tank is determined; weights of fuel are poured into said tanks, the sum of which weights constitutes a provisional loading weight MP, which is less than said weight of fuel PFQ necessary for the mission and which, added to said cargo weight MC, causes the center of gravity of the aircraft to go from said position XC corresponding to the latter to a provisional position XP, such that the feeding into said tail tank of a weight of fuel equal to the difference Δ between the weight of fuel PFQ necessary for the mission and the provisional loading weight MP causes, in accordance with said relation (R), said center of gravity of the aircraft to go from the provisional position XP to the optimal position CGt; and a weight of fuel equal to said difference Δ is poured into said tail tank.