Weighing an Airplane as it Flies Overhead

Recently, [AlphaPhoenix] weighed an airplane. Normally, that wouldn’t be much of an accomplishment. Except in this case, the airplane happened to be in flight at the time. In fact we’re …read more

Jun 18, 2025 - 10:10

Weighing an Airplane as it Flies Overhead

Photo of AlphaPhoenix looking at an airplane flying through the air

Recently, [AlphaPhoenix] weighed an airplane. Normally, that wouldn’t be much of an accomplishment. Except in this case, the airplane happened to be in flight at the time. In fact we’re not sure what is more remarkable, as he not only weighed real actual airplanes but a paper airplane too!

The sealed box essentially acts as a pressure sensor.

To test the concept, a large scale is made from foamcore and four load cells which feed into an Arduino which in turn is connected to a laptop for a visualization. After a brief test with a toy car, [AlphaPhoenix] goes on to weigh a paper airplane as it flies over the scale. What we learn from the demonstration is that any weight from a flying object is eventually transferred to the ground via the air.

In the second part of the video a new, smaller, type of scale is created and taken to the airport where airplanes flying overhead are weighed over the course of three days. This new apparatus is basically a pressure sensor enclosed in a nominally air-tight box, essentially a fancy type of barometer. Measurements are taken, assumptions are made, and figures are arrived at. Unfortunately the calculated results are off by more than one order of magnitude, but that doesn’t stop this experiment from having been very cool!

If you’re interested in weighing things for fun or profit be sure to check out Hackaday Prize 2022: Arduino-Powered Weighing Scale Has A Real Analog Display or Reverse Engineering A Bathroom Scale For Automated Weight Tracking.