⛽ Fuel calculation for a long-haul flight

⛽ Article: "Fuel Calculation for Long-Haul Flights" 🎯 Why is this important? Fuel is the aircraft's lifeline! 🛫 You need to know: ⛽ How much for the route 🆘 How much reserve to keep 💰 How not to overpay for extra weight ✈️ How to reach the alternate Let's go! 🚀 📊 Fuel Components Fuel is divided into several parts: 1. Trip Fuel 🛣️ Main fuel for the route From takeoff to landing 2. Taxi Fuel 🚕 For engine start and taxiing Usually 0.5-1.0 tons 3. Contingency Fuel 🎯 Reserve for unexpected events Standard: 5% of Trip Fuel 4. Alternate Fuel 🏥 To alternate airport If main airport is closed 5. Final Reserve 🆘 Emergency reserve 30 minutes of flight NEVER touch! 6. Extra Fuel ➕ Additional (optional) For bad weather, holding 🛣️ 1. Trip Fuel — Route fuel What affects it: 💨 Wind (tailwind/headwind) ⬆️ Flight level ⚖️ Aircraft weight 🌡️ Air temperature Example for Boeing 777-200ER: 📍 KJFK → EGLL (New York → London) 📏 Distance: 3,008 NM ⏱️ Time: 7 hours 30 minutes ⛽ Trip Fuel: ~55-60 tons 🌬️ Depends on wind! How SimBrief calculates: ✈️ Chooses optimal route 🌬️ Analyzes winds at all levels 📊 Uses aircraft fuel consumption data 🎯 Gives exact number 💡 Tip: Tailwind = less fuel! 🌬️✈️ 🚕 2. Taxi Fuel — For taxiing How much to take: ✈️ Boeing 777: ~0.5-0.8 tons 🏢 Large airport: +0.2 tons 🚦 Rush hour: +0.3 tons Examples: 📍 JFK: 0.7t 📍 Heathrow: 0.8t (traffic!) 📍 Dubai: 0.5t 💡 SimBrief automatically adds taxi fuel! 🎯 3. Contingency — Reserve Rule: ⛽ 5% of Trip Fuel (minimum) Example: Trip Fuel: 58.0t Contingency: 58.0 × 0.05 = 2.9t When to take more: ⛈️ Bad weather on route 🌬️ Strong headwind ❄️ Icing conditions 🗺️ Unfamiliar route 💡 You can take 10% instead of 5% for safety! 🏥 4. Alternate Fuel — To alternate What is it: Fuel from main airport to alternate + approach How to calculate: 📍 From EGLL (London) to EHAM (Amsterdam) = ~180 NM ⛽ Consumption: ~3.2 tons 🛬 Approach + missed: +0.5 tons Total: 3.7 tons When not needed: ☀️ CAVOK at main airport 📍 Airport is huge (alternate not required) 💡 SimBrief chooses best alternate automatically! 🆘 5. Final Reserve — Sacred fuel ICAO Rule: ⏱️ 30 minutes of flight at holding altitude (1,500 feet) For Boeing 777: ⛽ ~4.5-5.0 tons IMPORTANT! 🚨 ❌ This fuel CANNOT be used! ⚠️ If you touch it — declare emergency 📞 If planning to use — inform ATC 🆘 Final Reserve = "to make it to the ground" 💡 This is your insurance for everything! ➕ 6. Extra Fuel — Additional Captain can add fuel: ⛈️ Thunderstorms on route 🏢 Traffic at arrival airport (holding) 🌀 Turbulence (increases consumption) 🌬️ Inaccurate wind forecast 💰 Refueling at destination is expensive Example: Normal: 68.5t Captain added: +2.0t Total: 70.5t 💡 Balance: safety vs weight vs economy 🧮 Practical Calculation Route: KJFK (New York) → EGLL (London) Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER 📊 Calculating: Trip Fuel: 58.0t 🛣️ Taxi: 0.7t 🚕 Contingency (5%): 2.9t 🎯 Alternate (EGLL→EHAM): 3.7t 🏥 Final Reserve: 5.0t 🆘 Extra: 1.2t ➕ TOTAL: 71.5 tons ⛽ ✈️ Enter into FMC Step 1: INIT REF → FUEL ZFW: 185.0 (Zero Fuel Weight) FUEL: 71.5 (fuel in tons) Step 2: Check GW (Gross Weight) = 256.5t MTOW for 777-200ER = 297.6t ✅ Within limits! 💡 If overweight — reduce cargo or passengers! 📈 In-flight Monitoring During flight, monitor: 🎯 Checkpoints FMC shows predicted fuel at each waypoint Compare with SimBrief plan ⚠️ If consumption is higher: 📞 Inform ATC 🌬️ Request different flight level 🏥 Consider early alternate ✅ If consumption is lower: 🎉 Great! Tailwind helped 💰 Fuel savings PROG Page in FMC: ----- AT EGLL ----- PREDICTED: 9.2T REQUIRED: 8.7T RESERVE: +0.5T ✅ 🛠️ SimBrief — Your helper What it does: 🌬️ Loads current winds 📊 Calculates optimal flight level ⛽ Calculates all fuel components 📄 Produces nice PDF with details Where to look in SimBrief: 📄 OFP (Operational Flight Plan) FUEL PLAN section Everything broken down by category! 💡 Just follow SimBrief — it calculated everything! 🎯 Examples for Different Flights Short (KJFK → KBOS, 1h 30min): Trip: 6.5t Taxi: 0.5t Contingency: 0.3t Alternate: 1.2t Reserve: 2.0t TOTAL: 10.5t ⛽ Medium (KJFK → LFPG, 7h): Trip: 55.0t Taxi: 0.7t Contingency: 2.8t Alternate: 3.5t Reserve: 5.0t TOTAL: 67.0t ⛽ Long (KLAX → YSSY, 13h): Trip: 110.0t Taxi: 0.8t Contingency: 5.5t Alternate: 7.0t Reserve: 5.5t TOTAL: 128.8t ⛽ 💡 Fuel Saving Procedures If fuel is low in flight: 🌬️ Request optimal flight level FMC shows OPT FL Can save 2-3% 🐌 Reduce speed Cost Index 0 = maximum economy Fly longer, but burn less ✈️ Shortcut (direct) Ask ATC for Direct Cut distance 🚫 Avoid holding If fuel is low — declare Minimum Fuel ATC gives priority 📚 Useful Resources 🌐 SimBrief — best calculator 📊 Winds Aloft — current winds ✈️ Built-in calculator in FlightFactor 777 📖 FCOM (Flight Crew Operating Manual) — consumption tables