[paulmd]

> But yes, the idea to minimize the number of sensors is a good one. I think the ideal place for this would be a pressure sensor within the oleo struts of the landing gear.

Yup, this exists.

> In its final report on the Fine Airlines accident, the Safety Board discussed the Sum Total Aft and Nose (STAN) system, which is an electronic system installed on some cargo airplanes that allows flight crews to verify an airplane's weight and balance before departure. According to the report, the STAN system uses pressure transducers to convert main gear and nose gear shock strut air pressure to an electronic signal. The system then provides flight crews with a digital readout in the cockpit (on the flight engineer's instrument panel) of the airplane's gross weight and CG values.

http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/A...