It goes like this:
" Son , we are taking extra fuel , how much and why?"
Most are happy, if not all.
I take plog fuel ca 20% of the time.
I am not a glider pilot.
I have never diverted due to fuel and never will.
Some dingbat here will shortly call me , old , inefficient , but not bold.
I committed once in to Gatwick and landed with 1900kg. no drama, but a divert to STN would certainly have been.
SOP , policy and statistics are fine and dandy but Murphy has a tendency to book a seat when he see a chance to stack some Swiss Chees.
I did take plog fuel the day I got a Spit Flap on approach a few years ago. Stuck at 0.4 and 0.8, with 24 minutes of QRH and a rather odd attitude on approach.
Had fuel for another try, if needed and to alternate.
Nailed it on the first try!
We do LIDO and it is fantastically accurate ,but there is little margin for unforeseen delay runway change etc.
Pilotbrief was way off the mark at times, mostly fuel rich.
So if a FO wants plog fuel he better get it right, every time.
Regards
Cpt B