FAA Aviation Mechanic General (AMG)Aircraft Drawings, Weight and BalanceEasy
A maintenance drawing lists a component's location as 'FS 210.' What does this designation indicate?
- AThe distance of the component left or right of the aircraft's centerline
- BThe horizontal distance in inches from the datum measured along the aircraft's longitudinal axis
- CThe vertical height of the component above the ground
- DThe height of the component above the waterline datum
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The horizontal distance in inches from the datum measured along the aircraft's longitudinal axis
Fuselage Station (FS) numbers indicate the distance, in inches, measured along the longitudinal axis from the aircraft's datum. This differs from buttline (lateral distance from centerline) and waterline (vertical height) measurements.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Lateral distance from centerline is called buttline (BL), not fuselage station.
- C. Height above the ground is not what fuselage station represents; that would relate to waterline, not FS.
- D. Vertical height above a horizontal reference is called waterline (WL), not fuselage station.
Fuselage Station (FS)
A location reference expressed as the horizontal distance, in inches, from the aircraft's datum along the longitudinal axis.
- Measured parallel to the longitudinal axis
- Expressed in inches from datum
- Complements Buttline (lateral) and Waterline (vertical) references
Memory trick: FS = 'Forward/aft Slide' along the fuselage length.