Fuel remaining onboard aircraft

[stegs]

Is this current fuel remaining on aircraft obsession just a CBFS thing or does it reflect the real world?
I know that flynet doesn't bother what fuel you have on board when you land and the only aircraft I fly
that needs a bit left in it is the VC-10 or you'll come to grief.
Don't jump down my throat over this:) It just seems a new thing.
When I joined CBFS nobody bothered what was left in the tanks. I realised it
was swings and roundabouts. Make a loss on some flights and you'd soon gain it
on others. I have made enough cash that I couldn't give a monkeys about
filling up an empty aircraft.
Just a question to find out what the score is. Maybe a full list of aircraft and
what has to be left on board?

Steve

[DaveB]

Hi Steve

Well.. the entire affair was born out of the fact that some pilots leave aircraft empty and others don't. I'm not short of a few bob either mate but it still pi$$es me off when this happens!! As a means of addressing the problem.. we've looked at RW figures and are using these loosely as a benchmark. At the end of the day.. you should be putting onboard what you need for the flight.. Easy

TBH.. I don't know if I'll ever get around the entire fleet as we have just too many aircraft but I'm making headway with everything NOT Viscount and Fraser is looking after those. Work on a rough figure of 45mins to 1hr hold plus diversion. I've done the Argosy, Vanguard, Heralds and currently on the T3's. I've probably done more but can't remember off the top of my head. You'll find details in the crew room forum ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[stegs]

Obviously I've put on what I need for a flight or I'd crash and burn
I'd just like to find out what the rules are now?
Maybe someone could put up what each aircraft should have left in the tanks in the stats?

Steve

[Garry Russell]

If you put on what you burn there is no problem

Some were burning the remaining reserve cutting there fuel bills and leaving it empty so someone else had to put a lot more on.

So it's really for those that don't buy what they burn


Garry

[DaveB]

Exactly that ;-)

It's quite obvious looking at the stats that 99% of pilots.. perhaps slightly more, know exactly what they need for a flight. Allowances are made for newbies even though our instructions are that pilots should be reasonably au fait with the aircraft they fly before asking for a TR on that type. This 'modified procedure'.. for want of a better term, is for those pilots who know exactly how much they need for a flight.. +/-.. look at what is onboard the aircraft they've chosen and only add the difference. This takes into account any return flight.

If all aircraft were returned to zero fuel by FlyNET on completion of each flight.. there wouldn't be a problem as we'd all be forking out loads of dosh. What the new instruction hopes to do is weed out the 'opportunist' pilot who seeks personal profit above all else and believe me.. there are/have been quite a few. It is not intended as a penalty.. more a way of putting all pilots on an equal level without punishing those that try to maintain more realistic fuel levels ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Nigel H-J]

Agree fully with you Dave, when I first started I did at times underfuel a/c and although you have an excellent Route Enquiry which I use often when I am flying a new route, the fuel used by pilots' may vary according to their routing/navigation and whether they take off straight away from the runway or taxi block to block.

One thing I have found useful is after completing each flight I go to my log book at Flynet then copy and paste the necessary flight information to Excel. See below.



For those who do not have Excel it can always be copied onto word or similar. This way, you know roughly what fuel is needed and by never going below the Block Fuel figure when refuelling then there will be no problems of leaving a/c tanks low.

Regards
Nigel.

[DaveB]

I say Nigel.. that's very industrious of you!!

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[NigelC]

Fuel Policy and tankering

Real World requirements from EU-OPS as follows:

Ball park example figs for 1-11 and assuming a fuel burn of 2500kg/hr

Start and taxi allowance..........200kg
Trip Fuel (MAN-GLA).............2300kg
5% route contingency..............115kg
Alternate Fuel(EGPH/EDI).........750kg
Final Reserve Fuel(30mins)......1250kg

Block fuel of.......................4615kg

What's the VA policy on fuel tankering?

For example if I were operating MAN/GLA/MAN, the fuel price at MAN is cheaper than GLA so would be worth my while loading extra fuel out of MAN.

However, if the fuel price situation was reversed (GLA cheaper), then min fuel (4615kg) out of MAN and uplift at GLA. If Manchester were one of the more expensive airports for fuel, then it would be worth tankering extra fuel back into MAN so the next person does not have to uplift so much expensive fuel. I am assuming that cutting down the fuel bill like this works to the advantage of the overall bottom line of the VA's accounts??

If the fuel prices are only marginally different, then don't bother tankering as the extra weight fuel burn penalty negates the advantages of tankering.


Nigel C

[DaveB]

Hi Nigel..

There really is no set policy for tanking but suffice to say, most of us do it and for exactly the reasons you've posted above. When I'm operating Merchantmen out of E.Mids, I try and choose a destination with a better fuel price (not difficult as E.Mids is quite high) so tend to take slightly less out of there and make the difference back on the return. Some guys go way over and end up with a minus figure recorded against the flight but the upshot is an exagerated bonus on the next so as long as the 'plus' is equal to the 'minus'.. I suppose it's OK to do it that way. I don't but that's me

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[NigelC]

Then if there's nothing against it, I'll do it!

As I work in commercial aviation real world, I do try and keep my FS stuff as close to that as possible.

N