If the center of gravity is aft during take-off, what is the result?

• A. Less stable at all speeds and difficult to recover from stall
• B. More stable at all speeds
• C. No effect
• D. Immediate stall

Answer: (A)

Placing the center of gravity toward the back of the airplane reduces its longitudinal stability. When the CG is aft of the neutral point, the aircraft tends to respond more to disturbances with larger pitch changes and requires more precise control to hold a steady attitude. During takeoff, that means the airplane can become less forgiving: it may pitch up more easily and be harder to control as you rotate and climb, especially if you encounter gusts or disturbances.

In a stall, the reduced stability combined with less effective elevator authority makes recovery more difficult. With the CG far aft, the tail and elevator have less leverage to push the nose down and reduce the angle of attack, so once a stall begins the airplane can remain in a stalled condition longer and require more effort to regain coordinated flight.