Patent ID: 8340892

Claim:
A method for determining the weight and balance of an aircraft having a plurality of landing gears, each including a pneumatic shock strut, the method comprising: storing breakout friction data in a computer having recordable memory of respective ones of the shock struts of each of the landing gears, the stored calibration data including a plurality of successive constant breakout pressures of each strut observed during a calibration loading and unloading of the aircraft, and a plurality of breakout friction forces associated with respective ones of the breakout pressures and computed as a function of the respective breakout pressures and an actual load acting on the strut; sensing pressures in respective ones of the landing gear shock struts during a subsequent loading or unloading of the aircraft; sensing vertical loads exerted by respective ones of the landing gear on the aircraft during the subsequent loading or unloading thereof; sensing an attitude of the aircraft relative to the horizontal during the subsequent loading or unloading thereof; and, computing a vertical load in each of the landing gears from the stored calibration breakout friction data and the shock strut pressures, landing gear unsprung masses, landing gear loads and aircraft attitude sensed during the subsequent loading or unloading thereof.