"Gord Beaman" wrote...

John, I recall that you're a qualified 747 F/E or Pilot so can
you tell me whether replacing aerodynamic trim of the tailplane
with fuel weight to reduce drag during cruise is still being
done?...I never seem to hear of it anymore, also what's the
proper nomenclature for that?

I'm a 747-400 Pilot.

Some 744s were delivered with fuel tanks in the horizontal tail. They hold
10,000 Kg. I have not flown any airplanes with them installed, so I do not know
any fuel management specifics for them.

While it may be possible to "passively" manage the CG by retaining the tail fuel
as long as possible, I don't know if this is authorized. Also, AFAIK, there is
no way to move fuel to the tail tank in flight -- once transferred down, it
stays down.