Originally Posted by
Fortyodd2
Correct, not an Offshore Pilot - and if that's the "Offshore Attitude" to FRF / MLA then glad I stayed clear of it.
FortyOdd, I like your feeling towards this and cannot fault you for wanting to avoid being low on fuel. It sucks and always will. However, its not an "Attitude" in HOFO its sometimes a commercial necessity and the Commander needs to be comfortable with it otherwise he can take "Additional Fuel required by the Commander" as is his prerogative under the rules. Majority of HOFO Pilots I have worked with like to take as much fuel as they can get in but sometimes the client wants all the available payload. That's the nature of the job. However, you can bet your pay packet that on those occasions we is watching the fuel gauges with deep suspicion until we land safely. We employ lots of little tricks to justify a little more fuel like planning with winds more punitive than forecast so the system calculates more fuel.
It takes a really brave soul to plan minimum wx/absolute minimum fuel without at least a tweak here and their for the "wife and kids". Often this happens subconsciously during the planning. One day the bean counters will eventually stand over our shoulders and the cat will get out of our nav bag. Rue the day!!