The operations department of the airline take the passenger, baggage and cargo information and collate this with the basic empty weight of the aircraft and the fuel load as determined by the pilots. They then feed this into a computer to calculate not only the gross weight of the aircraft but also the CoG at takeoff.
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Aircraft are not weighed prior to each flight, but the basic empty weight must be known and checked periodically per regulation. Aircraft are weighed simply using scales under the carriages :-) The other method is to use jacks. See further below for an image.
Wake turbulence poses a major risk to other aircraft, so pilots and ATC use the term “heavy” in radio transmissions as a reminder that the aircraft's wake may be dangerous to others passing behind or below the flightpath of these larger-mass aircraft.
Airplane wings are shaped to make air move faster over the top of the wing. When air moves faster, the pressure of the air decreases. So the pressure on the top of the wing is less than the pressure on the bottom of the wing. The difference in pressure creates a force on the wing that lifts the wing up into the air.
In the US there's no specific weight limit in the regulations. Instead, they just say that you must be capable of performing the duties of a pilot, e.g. 14 CFR 61.113: The general medical standards for a first-class airman medical certificate are: [...]
Pilots also feel an immense sense of freedom when flying an airplane; it's like being able to soar through the sky without any boundaries or limitations. The view from up high can be breathtakingly beautiful, which adds to their enjoyment as well!
In flight, imbalanced weight to the front of the airplane might make it challenging to keep its nose up. If the weight is overloaded to the back, the pilot might have difficulty recovering from a stall.
Passenger RightsThere are weight restrictions on flights for obvious safety reasons and it's part of the process to ask passengers to deboard when the aircraft is too heavy.
The survey, known as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, weighs a sample of U.S. residents, which airlines can then use to determine the average weight of a passenger.
Class E airspace has a ceiling of one thousand feet. Private pilots, however, are permitted to fly in every airspace class except for Class A, which requires an instrument rating. Private pilots who do have an instrument rating, however, are allowed to fly in Class A, but they cannot exceed 18,000 feet in altitude.
There are no specific height restrictions for pilots under FAA rules. Flight schools and commercial airlines accept pilots for training as long as they are physically able to reach the controls and obtain a full rudder deflection in the aircraft they will operate.
Pilots with a fear of heights aren't uncommon and in fact, the majority of people who are afraid of heights aren't affected by flying in an aircraft. There is a strong feeling of security when you close the door, and you should feel very comfortable in the hands of an experienced instructor.
Techincally, there is only one way for the aircraft to remain hanging motionless in the air: if weight and lift cancel each other out perfectly, and at the same time thrust and drag cancel each other out too. But this is incredibly rare. To stay in the air and sustain its flight, an aircraft needs to be moving forward.
All airplanes have a “Maximum Takeoff Weight”. Yes, it can, and it happens all the time. They don't take off of course, instead they remove passengers and/or bags until they get below the weight which they can take off.