Some help with a flight plan....

[G-BPEC]

Hi,

I am but a sad wannabe at the moment, and recently I was lucky enough to be invited onto the jumpseat of a BA 757 LHR-MAN. I was also given the flight plan afterwards, and though I understand some 90% of it, I was wondering if anyone could help me with the following abbreviations and definitions. I realise some will be taken out of context with the rest of the plan, but I'd be grateful if someone could have a go.:-

6679KG (fuel) **FMC DRAG/FF P0.0/M3.0**

PLAN REM 4.0 TOT RES 3.2

"RTX" (appears on its own many times)

168NM W/C M10

Also, there are three items towards the bottom of page one:-

WEIGHT CHANGE P500KG FP 132KG TP 0 REQ FUEL

HEIGHT CHANGE M*** NOT CALCULATED***

SPEED CHANGE CI 0 FM 12KG TP1 REQ FUEL

And finally

ACARS LS/ARR SPDBD-131.85


I would be grateful if anyone could help decipher the above for me.

Cheers
G-BPEC

[DownIn3Green]

168NM W/C M10= trip length is 168 nautical miles with an average wind component of minus 10 knots.

[mutt]

I have never seen a BA CFP, so here is my best guess……

6679KG (fuel) **FMC DRAG/FF P0.0/M3.0**
Trip fuel 6679 kgs, FMC biases Drag = P0.0, Fuel Flow M3.0

PLAN REM 4.0 TOT RES 3.2
Remaining fuel at destination = 4000 kgs, legal reserves 3200 kgs.

"RTX" (appears on its own many times)
Company route Xray

168NM W/C M10
DI3G explained this already.

WEIGHT CHANGE P500KG FP 132KG TP 0 REQ FUEL
CFP is based on a particular weight, this allows the crew to change the required fuel whenever there is a weight difference. Weight plus 500 kgs, increase the trip fuel by 132 kgs. Don’t know about TP 0 REQ FUEL.

HEIGHT CHANGE M*** NOT CALCULATED***
Would supply corrections if the flight was at a different altitude from the planned one.

SPEED CHANGE CI 0 FM 12KG TP1 REQ FUEL
Allow for Max Range Cruise, Cost Index = 0 and shows the associated fuel savings, once again I don’t know about Tp1 REQ FUEL.

ACARS LS/ARR SPDBD-131.85
Transmit the load sheet and arrival time using ACARS on freq 131.85.

How did I do?

Mutt http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/mica/FarSMutt.gif


[This message has been edited by mutt (edited 30 June 2001).]

[Sick Squid]

Right here goes, Mutt got a few of them 100% right...

FMC DRAG/FF P0.0/M3.0 as Mutt describes, the aircraft is fleet standard with regard to drag, but the engines are slightly more efficient than fleet standard.

PLAN REM 4.0 TOT RES 3.2. Assuming you don't burn contingency fuel you will land with 4 tonnes. However your "Total" reserve (reserve fuel plus diversion) is in this case 3.2 tonnes. Do the sum yourself, the figures are there.... reserves is 30 minutes at 1500 feet and never touched, diversion fuel from Go-around to arrival at alternate airport plus a factor.

RTX... not sure yet, need to dig out the bumf on SWORD but not company route, that is ROUTE 01 or such above the Fuel column.

168nm W/C M10 is distance and average wind component, a 10 knot headwind (minus 10) as stated by DI3G

WEIGHT CHANGE P5000KG FP132KG TP 0 REQ FUEL says that for an increase in Take-off weight of 5 tonnes required fuel is upped by 132kg and the flight time doesn't change (Fuel Plus132 and Time Plus 0)

The height change line used to look 5000 up and down, but as I understand it the data was not very accurate, so they don't give us it, we use rules of thumb instead.

SPEED CHANGE CI 0 FM12kg TP1 REQ FUEL says that for a speed change to cost index 0 (you will find the cost index used on the right-hand side of the plan) ie minimum fuel as opposed to whatever other criteria was used for this one (usually minimum cost, time versus fuel versus some black magic!) then you'll burn 12kg's less and take 1 minute longer to get there. Hardly worth it.

And finally,

ACARS LS/ARR SPDBD-131.85 is confimation that the final figures will be passed via ACARS after we've left the stand, or of they don't come through on that we can call Speedbird on 131.85 for them, or any other info (times etc.)

Phew!

...edit because I've just remembered that RTX means that it is a repetetive flight plan, ie one that is transmitted automatically as there are several occurences of the same flight per week. I think!

£6

[This message has been edited by Sick Squid (edited 30 June 2001).]

[G-BPEC]

DI3G/mutt/£6,

Thanks a lot for that. The Cost Index was 40, according to the plan, cruising at FL240. I would have asked the Crew all this, only they had a return flight to do and were keen to offload the pax as quick as possible (we were late arriving.

Thanks
'EC

[BigJETS]

I expected RTX to mean something about radio transmission. But, as I know virtually nothing about flightplans Im probably way off.