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planned fuel at touchdown

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Shem Malmquist
Joined
Nov 26, 2001
Posts
279
Hello. Wondering what your company's typical planned fuel (in minutes) at touchdown at the destination (or what ever term you use for it) is for:

1. VMC weather?

2. your alternate if IMC. ?

3. Also, what is your company policy on declaring an alternate?

If you could name your company it would be great too.

Thanks
 
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NJLA 737 (NetJets Large Aircraft) uses 9-10k on landing - about 90-120 minutes. however, for the 12hr flights, it would be about 4-6k or 45-60 minutes in the tanks. vfr/ifr doesn't matter. alternates always listed internationally, domestic as required.
 
European style rules at Emirates have us landing with:

Final Reserve Fuel + Alternate Fuel + any remaining Contingency Fuel.

Defined.

Final Reserve Fuel = Fuel to fly for 30 minutes at holding speed at 1500 ft. above the destination alternate in standard conditions, calculated with estimated weight on arrival at the alternate.

Alternate Fuel = Fuel for a missed approach from the MDA/DH at the destination, climb to cruising altitude, cruise, descent, approach, and landing with a contingency of 5% added. Not to be less than fuel required for 100 track miles.

Contingency Fuel = The higher of (a) or (b) below:

a. Either:

(i) 5% of the planned trip fuel; or

(ii) 3% of the planned trip fuel provided that an en-route alternate is available. The en-route alternate should be located withinh a circle having a radius equal to 20% of the total flight plan distance, the center of which lies on the planned route at a distance from the destination of 25% of the total flight plan distance, or at 20% of the total flight plan distance plus 50NM, whichever is the greater.

(iii) An amount of fuel sufficient for 20 minutes flying time based upon the planned trip fuel consumption.

b. An amount to fly for 5 minutes at holding speed 1500 ft. above the destination airport in standard conditions.


Up until recently we were using a blanket 5% contingency most of the time. This new change, to come in-line with what the majority of European operators are using, has us now using the 3% contingency most of the time. For a typical flight from Dubai to Singapore or Dubai to Europe ( 7+ hours ) we used to land with roughly 80 to 90 minutes of fuel remaining. Using the 3 % figure that has been cut by 15 minutes to 65 to 75 minutes of fuel remaining.

We always use at least one alternate unless it is a remote destination in which case the fuel would be for 2 hours at normal cruise consumption.


Typhoonpilot
 
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From the SWA FOM


Standard VMC Arrival Fuel

Standard VMC arrival fuel will be planned based on standard contingency fuel when:
• Actual and forecast weather is not less than a 2000 foot ceiling and visibility is not less than 3 statute miles, 1 hour prior to 1 hour after the ETA. • There are no adverse weather or trends in the vicinity of the destination airport that might adversely affect the flight.

Standard VMC arrival fuel flight time reserves:
Planned Flight Time:
<2+00 25min. + FAR 45min. (1+10 hrs) & not less than 5000# >2+00<4+00 35min. + FAR 45min. (1+20 hrs)
>4+00 45min. + FAR 45min. (1+30 hrs)

Arrival fuel less than 5000 pounds will not be planned without agreement between the Captain and the Dispatcher.


PS sorry but I can't get the page wrap to work correctly
 
at least 50K - AF doesnt care bout gas prices and if they make me go ddf - 1ax for a humvee and driver I'm done worrying bout tankering fuel
 
Homey doesn't play "less than one hour".

Hmmmm . . . I plan to be on the ground with a minimum of 6000 lb (approx 1:10) plus any extras (alternate, holding, extended taxi, etc.).

Enroute, I will accept being on the ground with 5000, but any less than that, and I'm outta there. Homey doesn't play "less than one hour".
 
Thanks for the replies. I hear that UAL is applying to reduce their alternate requirements, so that if the airport has CAT 3 capability and the destination is forecast at eta +/- 1 hr to have 1000' cig and 1 mile vis, that no alternate would be required. Can anyone confirm this?

Also, interested in Delta, NWA and AA.

The numbers people listed are their FOM mins? In actual practice, do your dispatchers use those numbers, and do most crews accept them or add more?
 
For AA's MD80s it is usually a minimum of 6000 which is about 1:00, in VMC at an airport like DFW or STL... at airports like LGA or PHL (delay-prone) we usually see a min of 7000lbs, included in that is usually at least about 500lbs of holding. In IMC we have the typical alternate fuel setup plus a little extra for holding. Dispatch adds a few hundred lbs for WX avoidance or rough rides (climbing & descending). Yes, AA has cut down on arrival fuel, back in the 90s it wouldn't be uncommon to see 9000lbs in VMC on arrival.
 
[/QUOTE]NJLA 737 (NetJets Large Aircraft) uses 9-10k on landing - about 90-120 minutes. however, for the 12hr flights, it would be about 4-6k or 45-60 minutes in the tanks. vfr/ifr doesn't matter. alternates always listed internationally, domestic as required.
12hrs with 45 min left in the tanks? Is this a common practice?
 

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