Definition
The published forward and aft center of gravity (CG) limits for an aircraft at various weights, presented in the Pilot's Operating Handbook or Aircraft Flight Manual. These limits define the range within which the loaded CG must fall for the aircraft to be safely and legally flown.
Plain English
The numbers from the aircraft's manual that tell you how far forward and how far back the balance point is allowed to be at a given weight. If your loaded balance point falls inside that range, the aircraft is safe to fly; outside it, it is not.
Context Anchor
Seen during weight-and-balance planning, especially when using the table method in the aircraft’s operating handbook to check a loaded airplane before flight.
Derivation
“Center of gravity” means the point where an object’s weight can be thought of as balanced. “Limit” means a boundary, and “data” comes from a word meaning “things given.” In this term, the data is the given boundary information for the airplane’s allowed balance point.
Why Pilots Care
Staying inside these limits keeps the airplane stable and prevents loss of control; operating outside them can make the aircraft unflyable.
Intuition Check
Do not read “center of gravity limit data” as the airplane’s actual loaded balance. It is the approved range you compare the actual loaded balance against.
Example Sentence 1
After completing the loading chart, the pilot compared the calculated CG to the center of gravity limit data and confirmed it fell within the allowable range.
Example Sentence 2
At maximum gross weight the center of gravity limit data showed the allowable CG range was between 38 and 46 inches aft of datum.