How do aircraft designers calculate the CG range?

Aircraft designers calculate the center of gravity (CG) range primarily by testing stability and control characteristics during design and flight tests. This process is crucial because the CG location significantly impacts an aircraft’s performance, handling, and safety.

During the design phase, engineers create models and simulations to understand how the aircraft will behave under different loading conditions. Once the physical prototype is available, actual flight tests are conducted to observe the aircraft’s stability and control characteristics firsthand. These tests provide valuable data that inform designers about the optimal CG range to ensure that the aircraft can be operated safely and effectively across various conditions.

The other methods listed, while important in their own right, do not directly assess the CG range. For example, fuel consumption metrics and overall performance metrics may give insight into the aircraft's efficiency and operational capabilities but do not specifically measure how the CG affects stability and control. Similarly, simulating crash scenarios focuses on safety and structural integrity rather than determining the CG range. Thus, the most direct and relevant method for calculating the CG range is through empirical testing of stability and control.