FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATM)Aircraft Performance and Weight and BalanceEasy
A dispatcher is preparing a weight and balance sheet and needs to identify which items are included in Operating Empty Weight (OEW) but are NOT part of Basic Empty Weight (BEW). Which item fits this description?
- AFlight crew, crew baggage, and required catering/potable water
- BUnusable fuel remaining in the tanks and lines
- CEngine oil and hydraulic fluid
- DPermanently installed galley structure and seats
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Flight crew, crew baggage, and required catering/potable water
Basic Empty Weight includes the structure, engines, fixed equipment, unusable fuel, and full operating fluids. Operating Empty Weight is BEW plus variable operational items such as crew, crew baggage, catering, and potable water that change from flight to flight.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Unusable fuel is already counted in Basic Empty Weight.
- C. Operating fluids like oil and hydraulic fluid are part of BEW.
- D. Fixed structure like galleys/seats is part of BEW, not added separately.
Basic Empty Weight vs Operating Empty Weight
BEW is the airframe, engines, fixed equipment, and full operating fluids. OEW = BEW plus crew, crew baggage, and catering/supplies needed for operation.
- BEW includes unusable fuel and full oil/hydraulic fluid.
- OEW adds crew, crew bags, catering, and potable water to BEW.
- Zero Fuel Weight = OEW + payload.
- Ramp/Taxi Weight = ZFW + usable fuel load.
Memory trick: Basic Bird gets a Crew, then Passengers, then Fuel, then Flies, then Lands.