FAA Aircraft Dispatcher (ADX)Flight Planning and PerformanceMedium
A dispatcher determines that the maximum allowable takeoff weight for a twin-engine turbojet is not limited by runway length or obstacle clearance, but by the aircraft's ability to meet the minimum required climb gradient with one engine inoperative during the second segment. This limiting weight is referred to as the:
- AMaximum zero fuel weight
- BField length limit weight
- CBrake energy limit weight
- DClimb-limited takeoff weight
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Climb-limited takeoff weight
When the engine-out climb performance requirement (second segment, gear up, flaps in takeoff position, 35 to 400 feet AGL) governs the maximum weight rather than runway or obstacle distance, the resulting weight is the climb-limited takeoff weight.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Maximum zero fuel weight is a structural limit unrelated to climb performance.
- B. Field length limit relates to runway distance (ASDR/TODR), not climb gradient.
- C. Brake energy limit concerns kinetic energy absorbed during a rejected takeoff, not climb.
Climb-Limited Takeoff Weight
The maximum takeoff weight at which the aircraft can meet the minimum required one-engine-inoperative climb gradient for a given segment.
- Second segment: gear up, takeoff flaps, 35-400 ft AGL, OEI
- Compared against field length limit and obstacle limit weights
- The most restrictive of the three limits becomes the actual max takeoff weight
- Affected by temperature, altitude, and flap setting
Memory trick: Three gatekeepers guard takeoff weight: Field, Climb, and Obstacle