Definition
A document, specific to a particular make and model of aircraft, that itemizes the equipment installed by the manufacturer at the time of original certification. It typically includes each item's name, part number, weight, and arm (distance from the reference datum), and forms part of the aircraft's permanent records used in weight and balance calculations.
Plain English
A list that comes with the aircraft showing every piece of equipment installed at the factory, along with how much each item weighs and where it sits in the airplane. Pilots and mechanics use it to keep weight and balance figures accurate.
Context Anchor
You may see an equipment list in the airplane’s records, pilot’s operating handbook, or weight-and-balance paperwork.
Why Pilots Care
Accurate knowledge of installed equipment prevents weight-and-balance errors that can reduce performance or make the flight unsafe, and it confirms the aircraft remains legally airworthy under its type certificate.
Intuition Check
Do not read equipment list as just a casual inventory. In this FAA context, it is part of the aircraft’s official records and helps define the airplane’s approved setup.
Example Sentence 1
After the avionics shop installed the new transponder, the mechanic updated the equipment list and recalculated the empty weight and center of gravity.
Example Sentence 2
Using the equipment list, the mechanic verified that all required instruments were present and matched the type certificate data sheet.