Title: Explain load factor.
Course: Aircraft Pilot Training I (20053-I) > Section: Examining the Forces that Act on Aircraft

Explanation should include the following:

- Any force applied to an airplane to deflect its flight from a straight line produces a stress on its structure; the amount of this force is termed load factor.
- Load factor is the ratio of the total air load acting on the airplane to the gross weight of the airplane. For example, a load factor of 3 means that the total load on an airplane’s structure is three times its gross weight.
- Load factors are usually expressed in terms of “G”—that is, a load factor of 3 may be spoken of as “3 Gs.”

PLT309