Described is a facility designed for independent measurement of aircraft weight and thrust values for aircraft weighing up to 1.2 x 106 pounds with thrusts up to 5 x 105 pounds forward and 2.5 x 105 pounds reverse. Craft are locked down onto platforms on a concrete runway, where each platform has a weighing capacity of 3 x 105 pounds and a thrust measurement capability of 1.25 x 105 pounds; there are four platforms in total resulting in the overall facility capacities.

Measurement is electronic using strain gage load cells; a remote instrument room is underground with visual and sound contact by television and radio. Weight and thrust are measured simultaneously. A fully loaded aircraft can be placed on the platform(s) and the loss in weight by fuel consumption can be accurately measured from zero, and related to both thrust and time. Instrumentation was developed around the basic null-balance potentiometer.