Originally Posted by
Lead Balloon
What rule do I break if I plan to land with 45 minutes FFR then make an in-flight decision to instead land with 30? What rule? I think you’ll find the answer is: No rule.
What is the safety issue if I decide to land with 30 minutes reserve, and I in fact land with 30 minutes reserve? The safety issue.
What if I decided from the start to land with 30 minutes reserve rather than 45, and in fact land with 30? If that’s not a safety issue, why does it become a safety issue if I instead planned to land with 45 minutes reserve then make an in-flight decision to land with 30 as a consequence of higher winds than forcecast, and in fact land with 30?
What is reserve fuel for?
Sorry, I was thinking of the old 45 minute reserve for pistons. In your case you didn't break a rule but it also wasn't a fixed reserve was it? Which goes back to the question, what is your actual fixed reserve? If you've planned to land with 45 then decide mid flight that 30 is ok, then you actually had 30 fixed and 15 contingency. The fact you didn't realise this in your own planning is a bit of a worry. Do you have a personal fuel policy or is it just a see what happens kind of thing? At what point do you decide to land at an en-route alternate for a top up? If you get to your destination with 30 and then have to dick around for 10 minutes for some unforeseen reason, do you feel nervous?
The purpose of the fixed reserve is to keep the fuel tank wet, once pilots get their head around that we'll have fewer RJ85s running out with a bunch of passengers on board.