“And finally remember that G-load is an acceleration, not a force”
Can anyone explain? I thought my G Meter measured force – 1G being ~9.81 N/Kg, acting on whole aircraft. Accelerating in a dive should give a reduced reading, <1?
It doesn’t measure force. I measures acceleration along the yaw axis. (Vertical when the aircraft is flying straight and level.) 1 G being approximately 9.81 m/s^2. But as acceleration is caused by the lift on the wings, indirectly the G measurement also gives the ratio of the lifting force to the gravity force acting of the aircraft.
1G force is 9.81 N/Kg and causes an acceleration of 9.81 m/s if unopposed, I thought.
Forces are in newtons (N) not in newtons per kilogram!
What does the G stand for? I always thought it stood for gravity and surely gravity is a force.
G (in N/kg) times Mass (in kg) is the force (in N), which is weight (in N)
Pilots confuse weight with mass in their MnB calculations, it should as it should be WnB calculations 
What does the G stand for? I always thought it stood for gravity and surely gravity is a force.
G is force per unit mass. Force per unit mass is an acceleration measure.
gallois wrote:
What does the G stand for? I always thought it stood for gravity and surely gravity is a force.
I guess G stands for “Gravity”.
Gravity is acceleration (ref. general theory of relativity). It causes a force but the force itself depends on the mass of the objects involved.
Mass will be equal on earth and mars, weight will differ.
just to add a little clarity G (capital) is the universal gravitational constant (circa 6.67×10^-11 m^3 kg^-1 s^-2) . Which does not change.
g (lower case) is the gravitational force at the earth’s surface.
