Wx & Lighting Alternate Requirements

[bettybd]

Here's the scenario. !
Your destination requires an alternate due lighting - PAL and no responsible person in attendance. The destination also requires 60 holding due CB's. (Tempo)
Your alternate also requires 60 holding due wx.

Do you carry 60min hold fuel for the original destination, as well as Flight fuel for the alternate and the another 60min for the alternate?

A total of 120min hold fuel + flight fuel for the alternate ??:ugh:

[Jetpipe2]

The simple answer to this is 60 minutes plus your alternate.

The justification is that the TS either requires 60 minutes or an alternate, as the idea of the tempo is to save you carrying the more restrictive alternate.

However in reality this is where contingency fuel comes in and whilst bare minimum fuel would be an alternate +60 mins it would be very wise to carry a bit more.

[Icarus53]

Firstly, you don't require holding for CBs. Only "TS or their associated severe turbulence". But for the sake of argument ...

If you're carrying an alternate, you don't need to carry holding fuel for the destination. You've got an alternate instead. You obviously need the 60 min at the alternate. This also covers your lighting alternate requirements.

That keeps you legal - now let's deal with the reality.

If you only carry the alternate and the 60 mins, it means that if you miss out for any reason at the destination, you are committed to the alternate immediately as you must be able to arrive at the alternate with 60 mins up your sleeve. In reality, you may want to hang around at the destination and give things another go, hold for up to 60 mins - whatever you consider to be reasonable based on the situation.

That is the choice you have as PIC - how much extra room do i give myself to allow for more options? A capable pilot starts reducing the amount of air in their tanks in this type of situation.

So strictly speaking, you require only the alternate and 60 mins. After that go nuts and give yourself as many options as possible.

[who_cares]

Hard to justify carry extra fuel if it means offloading pax.

By carrying min flightplan fuel doesnt mean you have to divert straight away, always have your variable fuel from the dep to des up your sleave.

[Jetpipe2]

Who cares,

True you can use your variable if you need but 10/15% depending on power type isnt a great deal, and that means you trust your fuel gauges to be exact and there are no un forecast winds enroute slowing you down.

However in the bigger machines an extra 10 to 15 minutes of fuel doesn't really make much difference to the payload, but can make all the difference to where you land.
And in the smaller stuff if you are carrying an alternate and 60 holding then the payload is pretty well shot, given the distances to most alternates in this country.