Grandad Flyer,your post of 27/9/00:
Your cautionary tale #1 wasn't at Austin,Texas by any chance? Got a hunch #2 involved a flight from Las Vegas Int'l to Mojave and Van Nuys???? That one was indeed cutting it close. I've been ultra-cautious on fuel reserves ever since. Now I calculate a minimum reserve of diversion fuel(say 30 minutes,could be more) + 45 minutes holding + 60 minutes reserve on landing + 10% contingency. This typically amounts to about 2 1/2 hours fuel over and above fuel required to destination. My latest diversion time is time to destination minus this 2 1/2 hours. If it looks like this reserve is going to be eaten in to - even by a short time - I look for an airfield to land and refuel. Ultra cautious? Maybe, but I only want to experience that equisite seat-squirming feeling from low fuel reserves once!
Life for me is a warm C182 at the moment, hope yours is more interesting???