Media hysteria on low fuel states in 3, 2, 1...
The ones who take an extra 30 mins every time for "mum", or the ones who go plog fuel every time. It shows a complete lack of decisionmaking or management.
Plog dispatch operators tend to be very fuel aware, simply by virtue of their decision to despatch with the planned fuel.
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I agree. "mum and the kids" is just a slang term for good judgement.
While the military, in time of war, may have good reasons to risk their men and equipment, only a bean counter who sits in a concrete buidling with a secretary to bring him coffee or tea and has never seen things fall apart at M.80 would cut fuel so close.
if pilots make rotten bean counters, bean counters make rotten pilots.
While the military, in time of war, may have good reasons to risk their men and equipment, only a bean counter who sits in a concrete buidling with a secretary to bring him coffee or tea and has never seen things fall apart at M.80 would cut fuel so close.
if pilots make rotten bean counters, bean counters make rotten pilots.
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I am not advocating 30mins for Mum, meaning "just because I do that every day and it saves me from having to think too much". Each sector has to be judged on its own merits. One scenario might be bad weather but another may be an alternate that is so close that it gives you no reaction time should something go wrong on the approach to your destination. If the rules require an extra 15 minutes holding at 1500' in the case of no alternate required how can we then carry alternate fuel for only 6 minutes flying, because our alternate is very close.
Someone said that more fuel did not mean a greater safety margin. I disagree because more fuel gives more choices, ie the ability to chose a safer option and because the "divert, declare a PAN, declare a Mayday, get priority to land" startegy is all predicated on the fact that you will be the only one doing it. A very unlikely scenario if a large airport is closed and in any case relying on everyone else not taking plog fuel.
The situation that you describe where you take 30 minutes holding and then join the hold fat, dumb and happy is in effect no different to taking plog fuel and sitting on the cruise fat, dumb and happy. Those are just two versions of the same way of thinking. I don't think they are comparable, in safety terms, to anticipating potential problems and keeping your options open versus relying in a one size fits all strategy (ie the minimum fuel regs) and as a result ending up with no options left.
Someone said that more fuel did not mean a greater safety margin. I disagree because more fuel gives more choices, ie the ability to chose a safer option and because the "divert, declare a PAN, declare a Mayday, get priority to land" startegy is all predicated on the fact that you will be the only one doing it. A very unlikely scenario if a large airport is closed and in any case relying on everyone else not taking plog fuel.
The situation that you describe where you take 30 minutes holding and then join the hold fat, dumb and happy is in effect no different to taking plog fuel and sitting on the cruise fat, dumb and happy. Those are just two versions of the same way of thinking. I don't think they are comparable, in safety terms, to anticipating potential problems and keeping your options open versus relying in a one size fits all strategy (ie the minimum fuel regs) and as a result ending up with no options left.
Monarchman & Sevenstrokeroll,
What I am suggesting are people who use the same fuel every time. Some people take a set figure every time with disregard to the situation. That is proved when they blindly take their set figure with conditions that require a lot more.
The bottom line is that we are PROFESSIONAL pilots. Every fuel decision is important & requires more thought than a lot of people give it. It amazes me how many people arrive back in London with FG forecast that do not "plan" their alternates to be CAT 1.
What I am suggesting are people who use the same fuel every time. Some people take a set figure every time with disregard to the situation. That is proved when they blindly take their set figure with conditions that require a lot more.
The bottom line is that we are PROFESSIONAL pilots. Every fuel decision is important & requires more thought than a lot of people give it. It amazes me how many people arrive back in London with FG forecast that do not "plan" their alternates to be CAT 1.
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I agree, each sector is based on its own merits.
Beware the people that say " I always take an extra tonne", there may be times you need more.
I personally don't carry extra based on what might happen, I carry fuel based on the facts presented to me via notams/wx/experience etc.
Beware the people that say " I always take an extra tonne", there may be times you need more.
I personally don't carry extra based on what might happen, I carry fuel based on the facts presented to me via notams/wx/experience etc.
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