Contingency fuel
 

Hi, just a quick question:

Can I legally take off without contingency fuel having burned it all on the ground, let's say for unforseen extra taxi time or so?

Can I decide to burn contingency fuel on the ground and then put up with the fact that I might have needed it in flight at my own risk and responsability of course?

Thanks for your help.

Yes, legally but not really sensibly.

Thanks BOAC,
I absolutely agree with you that it would not be sensible.
I was just wondering as I can't find any definition to the fact that we need to take off with contingency fuel in the tanks.

I think this potential 'management' sledgehammer to crack our nuts if we top up after a delay stems from the requirement for contingency to be only 'loaded' as part of fuel required but nowhere does it state that it needs to be in tanks once under way. BA certainly confirmed ( a little aggressively:)) to me that I was 'legally' entitled (and no doubt 'expected') to burn it all at the holding point.

Well that depends on the situation.

Are you 'expanding' on 'legally or 'sensibly' - or neither??

He's right, depends on the situation!

Having sat at the runway in Beijing once for over an hour, after already having waited at the gate for an hour due to a slot, we pretty much used up al our cont fuel ( even with two engines shut down) sensible to just go and closely monitor fuel in the air. Rather make a pit stop in HEL or even CPH than to go back to the gate, refuel, wait for another slot and wait at the runway again!

So that was legal and sensible.

Legally/sensibly . . . all comes down to Commander's discretion at the end of the day. There are some sectors where I wouldn't have qualms about doing so if required. Of course it all comes down to the "it depends" explanation.

As is so often the case it will be company, or regulatory authority specific. In my last company (an Asian carrier) you could not depart without contingency fuel on board, in my present company you can.

It comes down to: in the dispatch fase you need a specific amount of fuel, being taxi, trip, cont, alt and final reserve fuel.

The dispatch fase ends when the airplane starts moving under its own power for the purpose of take off.

Inflight the only requirement is to land with at least final reserve fuel! If landing with less than that you have to declare an emergency!!

So to summarize: it is completely legal to sit at a runway and burn through your cont and alt fuel and still take off!!!

Whether that is sensible depends on the situation ( actually had that happen one time in LHR on a flight to AMS with TS in the departure area but severe clear in AMS, decision was taken to continue AMS taking into account all factors but fully aware that if anything happened it would immediately be an emergency).

Above based on EU OPS and notwithstanding company policies that might be more restrictive (I guess if it's in PART A it becomes the regulation).