Definition
The specific weight limits established by the manufacturer and approved by the FAA during aircraft certification, published in the Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) and the Pilot's Operating Handbook. These typically include maximum takeoff weight, maximum landing weight, maximum ramp (taxi) weight, and maximum zero fuel weight. Operating an aircraft above any certificated weight is prohibited.
Plain English
These are the official weight limits the aircraft was tested and approved to operate within. The manufacturer set them, the FAA signed off on them, and the pilot must stay inside them.
Context Anchor
Seen in weight and balance planning, especially in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook or Aircraft Flight Manual where the aircraft’s approved loading limits are listed.
Derivation
‘Certificated’ comes from ‘certificate’ — a formal document confirming something has been verified and approved. In aviation, a weight is ‘certificated’ when it has been written into the official certification paperwork as a binding limit, not just a recommendation.
Why Pilots Care
Staying within certificated weights preserves structural integrity, ensures required performance margins, and keeps the flight legal.
Intuition Check
Do not read certificated weights as just “weights someone calculated.” Here, certificated means official FAA-approved limits for that aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
After loading the passengers and baggage, she checked the totals against the certificated weights listed in the POH before starting the engine.
Example Sentence 2
Loading calculations always compare actual weights against the certificated weights listed for ramp, takeoff, and landing.