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Polar Routes

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N271FE

Active member
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Posts
41
For anyone with experience dispatching Polar routes:

3 Questions:

- What website(s) do you use for monitoring space weather?

- What Satcom provider do you use?

- How does your company monitor fuel freeze issues pre departure?
 
At DL, for flights using the polar routes, the Boeing Fuel Temp Prediction Program is invoked by the flight planning system, so if youre doing say an ATLPVG, FPS 2.0 (flight planning system) will be running the FTPP in the background, and on the flight plan summary will be a note as to where in the flight the coldest fuel temp is forecast. It only works for flights thru the polar region, or any flight which you have a certain flag set to require fuel temp calculations. It's all automated.

If the FTPP senses a fuel freeze problem, it sends an unoverrideable error on the error tab which the dispatcher must fix before sending the release.

Here is what the remark looks like:
04 MINIMUM PREDICTED FUEL TEMPERATURE -23.6C AT ETE 0634
(BET - OSE) AS FLIGHT PLANNED


Now that I think of it, most of the ultra long hauls that they do have the "perform FTPP calculations" flag set, regardless of what part of the world youre operating in. I ran a test plan with the B777-200LR one day ATLSYD to see if the plane could do it, and it also had the fuel temp forecast remark, as below:

02 MINIMUM PREDICTED FUEL TEMPERATURE -19.6C AT ETE 0908
(BARKR - ADOWA) AS FLIGHT PLANNED


OCCWX (DLs In house metro) runs a space weather forecast on DeltaNet. However, I concur with the previous poster, the SWPC NOAA page is good stuff.

Couldnt tell you who DL uses for a SATCOM provider...
 
Last edited:
dispatchguy, thanks for the info- we're looking at the Boeing Fuel Freeze product too- seems that united, continental, ups and you use it and are happy with it.

10nclr, thanks for the noaa website- that seems to be a standard too.

We don't currently fly polar, but with the 777s coming, it's in the works.
 
dispatchguy, thanks for the info- we're looking at the Boeing Fuel Freeze product too- seems that united, continental, ups and you use it and are happy with it.

10nclr, thanks for the noaa website- that seems to be a standard too.

We don't currently fly polar, but with the 777s coming, it's in the works.

be careful with the SWC generic internet site .. as it is a non-secure site, it cannot be considered a reliable space wx source..Only approved QICP sources should be considered..and be prepared for such questions in yr Polar FAA table top.

fuel freeze -- the Boeing FTPP is based on historical data. by far, the most reliable source is to have the fuel used and the fuel in the tanks analyzed and the freeze point measured and then dispatch is notified for flt planning purposes--far more reliable and accurate that the Boeing FTPP..ask yourself--what is more accurate--historical vs actual? fuel freeze avoidance comes down to the fuel freeze temp, plus 3C (+4 for airbus)--compare that to the OAT, and you are good to go. If you dont know the fuel freeze temp of the fuel in the tanks, use the generic JET-A fuel freeze temp (-40c) plus 3C. what pre flt planning process did you use for FRA-ANC polar flts? surely this shud be nothing new to you.

N271FE -- we understand that the one personnel teaching yr international group all this new stuff is pretty sharp--i wish we were still so lucky here. u want to talk about fuel savings tactics, this personnel is it--revolutionized the way we do it here, including the flight crews. thankfully, now long gone are the days of landing with a ton of unnecessary fuel here. it is recommended best to heed the advice of this personnel to take steps now to save the $$ in fuel costs, if we want to secure our own retirement. we used to think that adding extra fuel always adds insurance --boy were we wrong. comparing the cost of adding all the (unnecessary) extra fuel to the cost of one diversion--the cost of always adding all of that unneeded xtra fuel would wayyyy outweigh the cost of one divert. good luck.
 
At DL, the FTPP system can use the actual fuel temp in its internal calculations, on the fuel tab in FPS 2.0, you can either input the actual OAT, or the actual fuel temp from the fuel farm. I remember when UAL first started their HKG Flight (UAL895), they used specific fuels with depressed freeze points - they also towed the aircraft to the departure end of the runway!

I second the QICP comment - good point.
 

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