Originally Posted by
Lead Balloon
Thanks Lookleft.
I'm not confused about the difference between planning a flight and doing a flight. I have some exposure to and experience of the difference between forecast weather conditions and 'on paper' representations as to the conditions of a destination aerodrome, on the one hand, and dealing with reality on the other.
I'm confused about what and how you change things after you've taken off, having taken off at a weight calculated by reference to the conditions forecast before take off.
If you in fact "worked out pre-flight that you were limited [and you] reduced your fuel (tankering possibly) or payload", how do you increase fuel on board or passengers on board or cargo on board after take off, when you find out that the weather conditions at your destination are, in fact, 'better' than the ones you planned on? I can envisage you going a more direct route and landing with more fuel than planned, and therefore at a higher landing weight than planned. Any other way of landing heavier than planned, in accordance with the rules?
And what do you do after take off when you find out that the weather conditions at your destination are, in fact, 'worse' than the ones you'd planned on? I can envisage you flying around for 'a while' to burn fuel to reduce landing weight. Any other options?
(PS: Thanks, too, to 404T. Digesting your post now.)
The way I understand it is that the 1.67 and 1.92 is merely a simple worst case factor that should cover you, based upon the planned weather forecast and landing weight.
Once you are airborne though, you obviously need to check based upon the exact conditions etc.
Unlike 404, I’ve never had Flysmart throw me up a greater LDR than the preflight 1.67/1.92, it’s generally just a bit less. But it’s not often that I’ve been that limited to the point of not being able to land at MLW either, normally been well in excess. Perhaps it’s in how they’ve got him figuring it out, because Flysmart is very customisable for the customer, case in point with the ability to select the level of contamination on the runway.
At the end of the day, this is very Australian, arguing over the semantics of this bull**** in this day and age of EFB’s. The rest of the world probably couldn’t give 2 ****s about how it’s worked out etc., they just punch it into the EFB, let it work it’s magic, and carry on with the rest of the day. When we do it day in and day out, I’d rather just show up at work and if it’s within the regs, who cares.