The item was found in several pieces, slightly bent at one end, and appears to be missing some parts—probably an arm or arms that would allow the user to calculate cargo loading and the shifting center of gravity of the aircraft as fuel was drawn from the many fuel tanks. Note that the device uses 14 fuel tanks rather than the eight of the Goose, though it could probably be used on the Goose or a production version of the H-4.
Each fuel tank and compartment appears to have possibly had a slider that could be adjusted as fuel was consumed, or an arm or arms could be moved across the device to aid the flight crew to maintain the aircraft’s balance.
The Computor measures the weight, in pounds, in five compartments of the Flight Deck and a series of compartments of the Cargo Deck, while fuel, measured in gallons, is being drawn from the 14 Hull Fuel Tanks. It also includes an item for a 273-gallon wing oil tank and two ballast tanks.
