Still
don't worry, I haven't taken any offence!
The fuel we arrive at the hold with has to be sufficient not only to hold for a while, but to make an approach, go around, then divert to our No1 diversion, hold for 30 minutes, make an approach and land. I can't reduce, or use that fuel, which amounts to about 6 or 7 of the 10 tonnes I'm planning to have on arrival at the hold. Therefore, that 1 tonne saved (in this case) represents about 25-30% of my absolute maximum available holding time. In practice, I'd be taking a lot on trust if I went down to the minimum fuel for the arrival/go around/divert etc. before I made those kinds of decisions, so, realistically I've probably got 2 - 2.5 tonnes to play with (which is the 15 minutes' contingency fuel I referred to in an earlier post - which may have been absorbed by unfavourable winds or levels). Therefore, that tonne saved may represent as much as 50% of my available hold time - which may well make the difference between arriving at destination, or diverting. That's why I feel happier having it on board!
Scroggs