My flight just announced that it will be pretty empty, and that it is important for everyone to sit in their assigned seats to keep the weight balanced. What would happen if everyone, on a full flight, moved to one side of the plane?

Question

My flight just announced that it will be pretty empty, and that it is important for everyone to sit in their assigned seats to keep the weight balanced. What would happen if everyone, on a full flight, moved to one side of the plane?

In: 8623

Answer 1

The front to back balance is a lot more important for an aircraft. It sort of hangs from, or balances on, its wings. It’s a bit like a seesaw front-to-back, and the weight on both ends must be equal or it’ll want to tip. The stabilizers (small horizontal wings on the fin) can compensate for this in some regard, but if the balance is too far off, the compensation is so severe that there’s not enough leeway left for maneuvering.

Moving from side to side will probably not do much. Except getting you yelled at by the crew for not following clear safety instructions.