Ballast

Definitions

• Removable or permanently installed weight in an aircraft used to bring the center of gravity into the allowable range.
• A weight installed or carried in an aircraft to move the center of gravity to a location within its allowable limits.
• Gas ballooning term; used to control buoyancy, and therefore altitude, during flight. Ballast, usually in the form of sand or water, is carried aloft by the gas balloon at launch. As the balloon pilot needs to adjust altitude, a small amount of ballast is jettisoned overboard, thereby reducing the gross weight of the balloon at that point in time. The balloon will then rise to a new pressure altitude, where it will remain until there is another dynamic change in the lift equation.

References

• Airplane Flying Handbook, Federal Aviation Administration, 2021
• Balloon Flying Handbook, Federal Aviation Administration, 2024
• Weight and Balance Handbook, Federal Aviation Administration, 2016