How many engineers did it take to design a horse? I don't know but the result was a camel!
Wasn't this Engineer.
The beauty of computer modeling, is that we can improve the model with every new ongoing data experience.
For flight safety related data, not on my watch. FS related software is tested to death, then frozen with nobody having the right to change it without a thorough review. (And yes, I have written computer loadsheet systems.)
The argument that one needs to find a completely still air position on the airfield, as in a hangar is akin to the argument that one needs to find a completely perfect MWBS (Load control, loading and load data sheet system).
I've never seen a bad one so long as people were properly trained and stuck to the rulebook.
If we take the analogy of speed monitoring and compliance on the road we can say the current system is like te police being issued with a note pad, pencil and stop watch.
Their task? Time a vehicle between two staitonary objects (Lamp posts) and bingo you have the third element, speed.
Some police officers will be very very good. Some mediocre and some lousy. Of course the legal defence team would have a field day and there would likely be no convictions.
Give the police however an external, accurate independent and verifable tool (Radar or laser gun) and bingo you have convictions
Not when it's me, I've succesfully shot down a police conviction on "data quality" issues. The police force in question didn't know their arse from their elbow when asked to justify their evidence. Too many people are unduly impressed when a computer or electronic measuring is involved.
It's similar to the posh EFIS systems we're seeing on light aircraft now - they still run off the same 50c sensor that the old steam gauges did. Yet because it's electronic people trust it. Hah!
So enough of the hair splitting. Even with a perfect, load control system, perfect loading procedures and personel and a perfect load sheet, how is the the weight & balance checked by external, accurate, independent and verfiable means?
That's why the quality system behind the production of load sheets is so important, and the captain is *supposed* to check and sign the loadsheet - he/she is the second check.
Maybe a better way to look at the issue is to study the present system from systemic and analytical angles. I have done that and I have come up with a threat & error management model that I am willing to share for discussion and improvement, privately.
What are the main data inputs, and what equations do you use for data combination? - for the latter I generally (for similar problems) use combined sum of squares of partial derivatives (of the whole function) multiplied by the numeric values of derivative variables. Maths is a bit messy, but the results are very reliable - by which I mean safely conservative, but not excessively so.
Don't bother with any sales pitch, I just fancy looking at some nice juicy data analysis - that's what's at the root of what you're talking about.
G