Have you ever been on an airplane or seen one flying overhead and wondered how much that airplane weighs?
Airplanes are flown all around the world and they are built in a variety of sizes and weights.
From small private airplanes that are used for flight training to large commercial jumbo jets, people are shocked when they find out the weight of a certain airplane.
In this article, you will see a list of airplanes of various sizes and learn exactly how much they weigh.
Ultralight Airplanes
Earthstar Thunder Gull
The Thunder Gull is an ultralight airplane that had its first flight in 1987. This airplane is manufactured by Earthstar in California, USA, and is a high-wing aircraft with an engine at the rear.
The Earthstar Thunder Gull has an empty weight of 274 pounds.
Aeromarine Merlin Lite
The Merlin Lite is a high-wing ultralight airplane that has an empty weight of 254 pounds. It has a speed range of 24 to 55 knots, and with the 4.5-gallon fuel tank, the Merlin Lite can stay in the air for about 4 hours.
Light Airplanes (Piston and turboprop)
Cessna 172
First flown in 1955, the Cessna 172 is a four-seat high-wing single-engine aircraft. The Cessna 172 has an empty weight of 1,680 pounds and is one of the most popular single-engine aircraft used for training pilots.
The Cessna Aircraft Corporation has built more C-172s than any other aircraft.
Diamond DA40
The Diamond DA40 is a low wing single-engine airplane. The Diamond DA40 has an empty weight of 1,746 pounds and a gross weight of 2,646 pounds and can carry four people.
Piper Navajo
The Piper Navajo has an empty weight of 3,390 pounds and a max takeoff weight of 6,500 pounds. The Navajo is a piston twin-engine aircraft that had its first flight in 1964.
Pilatus PC12
Manufactured in Switzerland, the Pilatus PC12 is a single-engine turboprop airplane. The PC12 is used for both passenger and cargo operations.
The empty weight of the PC12 is 5,867 pounds and has a maximum range of 1,635 nautical miles.
Beechcraft King Air 350
Having an empty weight of 9,456 pounds the King Air 350 and carry up to 11 passengers and two crew.
The aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines.
Light Jets
Citation X
The Cessna Aircraft Company of Wichita Kansas produced the first Citation X in December 1993. With a zero fuel weight (ZFW) of 24,400 pounds, this turbojet can fly at 51,000 feet and is considered a medium-sized business jet.
Citation X video
CRJ 700
The CRJ 700 is built in Canada by Bombardier Incorporated, with an empty weight of 43,200 pounds.
The CRJ 700 can carry up to 78 passengers for a maximum range of 1,702 nautical miles and at a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet.
Citation M2
The Citation M2 is a turbofan-powered light corporate jet. The empty weight of the Citation M2 is 8,400 pounds and has a landing distance of less than 3,000 feet.
Cirrus SF50
Known as the Vision Jet the Cirrus SF50 can be flown by a single pilot. The SF50 is considered to be a very light jet and has an empty weight of 3,572 pounds.
The average price is just under two million dollars and is usually piloted by its owner.
Airplane weight table
| Airplane type | Empty weight (pounds) |
|---|---|
| Earthstar Thunder Gull | 274 |
| Aeromarine Merlin Lite | 254 |
| Cessna 172 | 1,680 |
| Diamond DA40 | 2,646 |
| Piper Navajo | 3,390 |
| Pilatus PC12 | 5,867 |
| Beechcraft King Air 350 | 9,456 |
| Citation M2 | 8,400 |
| CRJ 700 | 43,200 |
| Citation X | 24,400 |
| Cirrus SF50 | 3,572 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 90,710 |
| Airbus A320 | 82,078 |
| Boeing 767-300 | 194,400 |
| Boeing 777 | 297,300 |
| Boeing 787 | 229,500 |
| Airbus A330-200 | 370,377 |
| Airbus A380 | 814,000 |
Heavy Jets
Boeing 737-800
As a commercial airliner, the Boeing 737-800 has an empty weight of 90,710 pounds and a max weight of approximately 172,400 pounds and can climb to an altitude of 41,000 feet.
Airbus A320
One of the first fly-by-wire commercial jets the Airbus 320 first flew on February 22, 1987.
The A-320 has an empty weight of 82,078 pounds and a fuel capacity of 52,830 pounds. The jet is normally powered by two CFM-56 power plants and can fly at 39,000 feet.
Jumbo Jets (Widebody)
Boeing 767-300
One of the first medium to long-range wide-body commercial jets, the Boeing 767-300 operates with an empty weight of 194,400 pounds and can have a take weight of 412,000 pounds.
There is also an ER extended-range version and a cargo version of the 767.
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 known as the Triple Seven is the world’s largest twin-jet aircraft. The triple seven can seat up to 450 passengers and climb to 43,000 feet.
The 777 has a whopping empty weight of 297,300 pounds and a gross take-off weight of 545,000 pounds.
Boeing 787
One of Boeing’s first 50% composite-built airliners, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has an empty weight of 229,500 pounds and so far there are three versions of the Dreamliner, the 800, 900, and 1000.
Airbus A330-200
The Airbus A330-200 is a twin-engine commercial jet. The empty weight of the A330-200 is 370,377 pounds and it’s maximum take-off weight is 513,677 pounds. The first flight was in 1997.
Airbus A380
The first commercial passenger aircraft with two full floors, the Airbus A380 has a huge empty weight of 814,000 pounds and a maximum take-off weight of 1,234,600 pounds.
The A380 is powered by four powerful turbojet engines producing over 70,000 pounds of thrust each.
What is the heaviest airplane in the world?
The heaviest airplane ever built is the Antonov AN-225. It has an empty weight of 771,681 pounds and a maximum weight of 640 tonnes (705 short tons) which is over 1.4 million pounds.
