Baggage weighing 90 pounds is placed in a baggage compartment placarded at 100 pounds. If the airplane experiences +3.5 Gs, the total load on the baggage would be which of the following?

Baggage weighing 90 pounds is placed in a baggage compartment placarded at 100 pounds. If the airplane experiences +3.5 Gs, the total load on the baggage would be which of the following?

• A. 270 pounds
• B. 360 pounds
• C. 405 pounds
• D. 315 pounds

Answer: (D)

When an airplane experiences positive Gs, objects inside feel heavier by that same factor. The baggage weighs 90 pounds in normal conditions; with +3.5 Gs, the apparent weight becomes 90 × 3.5 = 315 pounds. The placard of 100 pounds is a static limit for normal loading, not the dynamic load during maneuver; during high-G, the load can exceed that static rating. For reference, 270 pounds would occur at 3.0 Gs, 360 pounds at 4.0 Gs, and 405 pounds at 4.5 Gs. So the total load on the baggage is 315 pounds.

When an airplane experiences positive Gs, objects inside feel heavier by that same factor. The baggage weighs 90 pounds in normal conditions; with +3.5 Gs, the apparent weight becomes 90 × 3.5 = 315 pounds. The placard of 100 pounds is a static limit for normal loading, not the dynamic load during maneuver; during high-G, the load can exceed that static rating. For reference, 270 pounds would occur at 3.0 Gs, 360 pounds at 4.0 Gs, and 405 pounds at 4.5 Gs. So the total load on the baggage is 315 pounds.