Originally Posted by
Check Airman
I long for the day when ATC stops distracting crews by asking for hours of fuel. If I’m busy with an emergency, that’s the last thing I’m thinking of.
Surely there’s a table they can be provided that gives them a rough conversion to endurance. Any number I give over the radio is probably going to be an equally rough estimate.
I always thought the "fuel on board" request after a MAYDAY related to
planning the firefighting response at the airport (or elsewhere). Not "endurance" as such.
- What's the worst-case fire we may have to fight?
- What is the worst-case fuel spill that will need to be foamed and/or cleaned up?
- Do we have sufficient resources?
- Do we need to call off-airport fire services NOW for backup?
ATC requests fuel/passenger information primarily
so that it can be forwarded to Crash Fire Rescue (CFR) personnel at the airport where an emergency landing might take place. CFR is very anxious to have this information, as it allows them to act on an informed basis regarding:
- How many people are to be accounted for
- How much (or little) fuel will potentially be spilled, or burning
CFR also has detailed information on equipment types and passenger loads that can predict where passengers will be exiting an aircraft. This allows them to concentrate their fire suppression efforts where they will do the most good.
So if you are involved in an emergency, remember that ATC is asking these questions for a good reason—to be able to provide optimal Crash Fire Rescue assistance following an emergency landing.
Source:
https://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/publicatio...ck/cb_341.htm#