Ask the Captain: Do full overhead bins affect how a flight handles?

— -- Question: More and more passengers are putting their luggage into the overhead bins instead of checking it to save money. I even read recently that airlines are increasing the size of their overhead bins as a result. Does all this extra weight above the wings affect the performance and handing of an airliner?

— submitted by reader cdub340

Answer: Today's airliners handle very well. Designers have learned many lessons over the years. The overall weight of the airplane and the location of the center of gravity (the balance) can affect handling, but I have never had any adverse handling characteristics due to overhead bin weight. The FAA sets limits on each of the bins, and during flight testing the airplanes is flown various weight and centers of gravity. Handling characteristic are carefully studied. The direct answer to your question is no, the weight in the overhead bins does not affect the performance or handling any more than weight elsewhere in the airplane.

Q: Recently I was on a morning flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to San Francisco. I was issued a ticket for a seat on the aisle, 9D. When I arrived at the gate, the person scanning boarding passes took my paperwork and told me that he would have to move me back a few seats because the plane needed a certain weight balance to fly. I sat in 12D instead of 9D. The business class of the this 737 was full and the first four rows in the economy class were empty. The rest of the plane had at least two persons in either side of the aisle of three seats. Is there any truth to a plane being more balanced with the first four rows empty. If so, why?

— Robert

A: The weight and balance of an airplane is calculated before every flight. There are limits where the center of gravity (CG) can be located. It is possible that passengers would need to be moved aft if there was a very heavy load of cargo in the forward cargo bin. The 737 has a wide limit of CG and the situation you describe is not one that arises very often. It is essential that the CG be within the limits to ensure proper flying characteristics.

Q: Captain Cox: Regarding last week's column, I think you meant ingest in your second answer, as water injection is pretty much history. It was being looked at by NASA for possible in-flight use to limit emissions & prolong engine life through reduced EGT's.

— Dale W. Schaub

A: Mr. Schaub, thank you for catching a typo. Yes, I definitely intended to say ingest. Water injection has not been used for years. Sorry for the mistake.

John Cox is a retired airline captain with U.S. Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.