Transport Aircraft Weight Estimation as a Function of Range and Number of Passengers

Estimation of maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is the first step in conceptual design phase. Zero-order sizing methodology, which is found in most textbooks, is the general technique used for that estimation. MOTW estimation by these methods can yield results that are between 10-15% of the actual MTOW. Payload-Range is another methodology used for civil aircraft weight estimation. It is based on statistics that correlates the number of passengers (3-class) with aircraft mission range. MTOW estimation is carried out by regressing an empirical equation. This paper presents a new empirical formula as a function of number of passengers (1-class) and mission range. This methodology uses both techniques with some modifications to them. The results show fast and accurate MTOW estimation with average accuracy of 5-10%