AMC5 UAM.POL.VCA.140 Mass and balance, loading

MASS VALUES FOR PASSENGERS, THEIR CLOTHING AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS AND FOR BAGGAGE

(a) When the actual number of passenger seats in the VCA is less than 6, passenger mass may be calculated on the basis of a statement made by, or on behalf of, each passenger plus a predetermined mass to account for clothing and personal belongings.

The predetermined mass for clothing and personal belongings should be established by the operator on the basis of studies relevant to its particular operation. In any case, it should not be less than 4 kg for clothing and personal belongings such as an overcoat, an umbrella, a small handbag or purse, reading material or a small camera or laptop.

The passengers’ stated mass and the mass of passengers’ clothing and personal belongings should be checked prior to boarding and, if necessary, adjusted. The operator should establish a procedure in the operations manual on when to select actual or standard masses and the procedure to be followed when determining mass based on verbal statements.

(b) When determining the actual mass by weighing, the passengers’ mass and the mass of passengers’ clothing and personal belongings should be weighed immediately prior to boarding the VCA.

(c) When using standard mass values, the standard mass values in Table 2 below should be used. The standard masses include the mass of any infant carried by an adult on one passenger seat. Infants occupying separate passenger seats should be considered ‘children’ for the purpose of this AMC.

Table 2: Standard masses for passengers — VCA with a total number of passenger seats of 19 or less

Passenger seats:	1–5	6– 9	10–19
Male	104 kg	96 kg	92 kg
Female	86 kg	78 kg	74 kg
Children	35 kg	35 kg	35 kg

(1) As baggage is weighed separately, 6 kg may be deducted from male and female masses in Table 2.

(2) For operations where a survival suit is provided to passengers, 3 kg should be added to the passenger mass value.

(d) Mass values for baggage

For VCA with 19 passenger seats or less, the actual mass of any passenger baggage carried in the VCA should be determined by weighing.

(e) Other standard masses may be used provided that they are calculated on the basis of a detailed weighing survey plan and that a reliable statistical analysis method is applied. The operator should advise the competent authority about the intent of the passenger weighing survey and explain the survey plan in general terms. The revised standard mass values should only be used in circumstances comparable with those under which the survey was conducted. If the revised standard masses exceed those in Table 2, then such higher values should be used.

(f) On any flight identified as carrying passengers whose mass, including clothing and personal belongings, are expected to significantly deviate from the standard passenger mass, the operator should determine the actual mass of such passengers by weighing or by adding an adequate mass increment.