Calculation of Certified MTOW
Can somebody please explain how an aeroplanes MTOW is calculated for certification purposes?
I don't mean the standard w&b questions to establish an aircraft's weight and C of G, as I'm comfortable with that, but how does Mr. Cessna establish that his 172 can only carry a maximum of 2300/2400lbs.
I'm supposing that it has to do with the structural strength of the airframe, but then can't quite get my head around the fact that when Mr. Douglas put water/methanol injected Wright Cyclones on the standard DC6, he increased the MTOW by 10000lbs, nor why there is a 100lb gain between the 172R and S models, even though there is only a 20hp difference in power output from the (exact same but de-rated) engine.
TIA
Duchess