Fokker 100 loading and MACTOW
 

Hello all.

I've been working for a few months as a load controller and one of the types I've been working on frequently is the Fokker 100. This a/c seems to have a tendency to be nose heavy whenever the loads are heavier. Some of the flights we work on have two separate destinations, and the required baggage segregation, sometimes aggravated with consiberable loads of mail, leaves no option but to use all four holds. No matter how much we try to load in the rear holds, in these situations the CG often "slides" forward much more than we'd wish, and I have in some cases issued loadsheets with MACTOWs of 20.5 and similar, far from what I intended originally. My senior colleagues seem to agree that there is not much one can do in such situations given the type of flights and loads, and that it's ok as long as the a/c is within operational limits.

From my limited experience this seems to be correct but I am curious to hear pilots' opinions on this, especially those who fly or have flown this type. What is your "ideal" MACTOW considering safety, a/c handling and fuel saving? Also do you encounter frequently the type of situation as described above? Do your airlines or handling agents have any particular loading techniques to deal with this, or is it inevitable to operate with low MACs in such circumstances?

Awaiting your opinions.
Cheers

20.5 is within the so called "green band" on the pedestal, so no problems there. At KLM, our mactows on the fokker 100 range from about 16 to 22 for normal flights, and even go up to about 30 for test flights with no cabin crew, pantry, etc.

Generally, as long as you are within the c of g envelope (and therefore the green band on the pedestal).....no problems.

Our loading manual states that you load holds 4 & 3 first, and then 2 & 1, so thats what we do, but we do not have the same type of baggage segregation you do

Thanks for your input Ray, that's exactly the type of opinions I was looking for. I work more frequently with A32S types in which the normal MACs range from 25 to 32 approximately, and I guess that was one of the reasons I was in doubt, due to the apparent difference of the values in comparison.

I just did a single leg flight, fully loaded in single class configuration, and the loading was very similar to what you mentioned. 4 - 400 kgs, 3 - 650 kgs, 2 - 150 kgs, 1 - nil. The MACTOW was 21.8, exactly in the range you mentioned. Thanks once again, this type of info really is useful in helping to become more familiar with the a/c and preventing any unwanted surprises :ok:

Cheers

You're welcome, mate. Just to clarify a few points:

C of G Limits : Just looked up our AOM, and the outer limits for the CG band are actually 16 to 30. This corresponds to the green band for setting the mac on the pedestal. But like I mentioned previously, in normal operations we tend to see a range between 16 and 22 on our typical flights.
Obviously, depending on no. of pax, baggage, fuel, etc, your figures may vary, but as long as they are within whatever limits your airline works to, should be fine.

Also, like I mentioned previously, we tend to load the rear holds before the front holds, but with one very important proviso. Here is an extract from our AOM:

The following distribution of the load in the cargo compartments is recommended for CG planning:

– 15 pax or less: All load in cpt 1.

– More than 15 pax: plan for 200 kg in CPT 1, then load in CPT 4 until full, then in CPT 3. When CPT 3 is full, CPT 1 and CPT 2 may be used.

CAUTION: Forward galleys and forward holds must be loaded first and unloaded last due to the
danger of aft tipping

As you already know, there is no physical separation as such between holds 3&4, and 1&2,........but we load the initial 200 in the far front of holds 1&2, and then follow the rest of the guidelines as stated above.

cheers, mate