Great post Shed.
I can quite agree with everything you said. Just to add that the amount of airspace that MAN controls is quite considerable and also affects flows from en-route to the different TMA's of LBA, LPL, EMA and BLK and a few more other airports which MAN is usually involved with.
BOAC holding fuel should be part of Trip if holding is part of a procedural type procedure and if holding is expected which you are quite right to say as defined under JAR OPS 1.255.
If it is not expected though, it will not be included. The type of ATC delays that you are referring to will be covered therefore, under statistical analysis of fuel useage data and will be included in the Trip fuel.
Contingency is Contingency and is quite different as previously explained based on the criteria as defined under JAR OPS 1.255 and AMC OPS 1.255 and IEM OPS 1.255(c)(3)(i) Which is what I have been trying to refer to in my previous post. I had been only trying to refer to the criteria for defining Contingency fuel and nothing else to do with holding.
Trip should include holding though which you are quite right to say, if it is expected. It is based generally on statistical analysis of flights and if holding is not expected it will not be included.
This is from JAR OPS 1.255
(b) An operator shall ensure that the planning
of flights is [at least based upon (1) and (2) below:]
(1) Procedures [contained in the
Operations Manual] and data [ ] [derived from:
[(i) Data provided by the aeroplane
manufacturer;] or
[(ii)] Current aeroplane specific data
[derived from a fuel consumption
monitoring system.]
(2) The operating conditions under which
the flight is to be conducted including:
(i) Realistic aeroplane fuel
consumption data;
(ii) Anticipated masses;
(iii) Expected meteorological
conditions; and
(iv) Air Traffic Services procedures
and restrictions.
I hope it clears it up to what I had been meaning.
In the end if you want to put Extra fuel on a flight you do it. There should be sensible based reasons to add the fuel or not to take extra fuel. Flying around on every flight on minimum fuel to save the company money is just daft. But then again so is loading an extra tonne or so for the wife and kids on every single flight.
Common sense is the key to all of these types of decision that we make many times a day. Unfortunately it is a dieing art and is not just prevalent to aviation but in all walks of life.
it is a "based" airline that has stated "In the event of a g/a, we WILL be going to EGGP".....
Quite agree with you chiglet. A bit of a scary statment. Talk about backing yourself into a corner.
