Fuel Planning

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LongHaul
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Fuel Planning

Post by LongHaul »

Hey guys! (I am still alive and should be type rated V.soon :lol: )

Just had a question before I finally apply for my type rating on the Vanguard... Is there a simple rule of them for figuring out how much fuel I need for a flight, and how do I get the fuel into my palne via FlyNet? I have looked at the stickies but am still a tad confused (it's easily done!)

Thanks in advance

Rich

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blanston12
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Post by blanston12 »

Personally I am not sure how to calculate the fuel usage from scratch, but before I fly a new AC for real I will do a practice flight outside of flynet using the AC and route I am planning for my first flight. After landing I will take a note of the amount of fuel used (easy since I started at 100% fuel). Add an appropriate buffer and that's my starting point.
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Post by mulletman »

as a basic calculation i use:

Route Distance
_______________ = 'X'

Aircraft Max Range

and then

X
__________________ = Required Fuel

Aircraft Maximum Fuel


Obviously this is ery basic, so i add quite a bit more afterwards (generally in excess of 10000lbs) for holding/taxi/reserve.
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Chris Trott
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Post by Chris Trott »

Here's a fairly basic way of doing fuel planning -

You have two figures that you work with. First hour, and Continuing Hours. Your first hour figure will be pretty high because you figure in taxi, takeoff, and climb. Every hour afterwards, you figure for cruise power fuel consumption. Descent and landing don't change the total enough to make that much of a difference to calculate it separately.

For the Convair 580, we used 1400 pounds for the first hour and then 700 pounds for each hour after that.

For the HS.748, I'm using 1000KG for the first hour and 500KG for each hour after that. Being that most flights so far have been at an hour, 800KG is more than enough. :smile:

So, if you know what your cruise fuel flow is in LBS or KG, take that round it to the nearest hundred, double it, and that'll give you your first hour consumption. For every hour afterwards, figure at your cruise fuel flow. Then, for your alternate, again, take the first hour fuel flow (because you're going from a missed approach, climbing to a low cruise and then proceeding to the alternate) for the first hour and then if the flight takes more than an hour to get to the alternate (happens occasionally) add your cruise flow again for any further time. Basically, you plan fuel for your alternate as if it's a second flight.

Finally, you take your cruise fuel flow and multiply it by 75% to get how much fuel you need for your required 45 minute reserve. In the HS.748's case, it would be 375KG. So that means (in a perfect world) I should never land with less than 375KG of fuel in the tanks if I did not have an alternate and did not have to hold.

Always be sure to add additional fuel for especially high headwinds, weather along the route, or known delays (like if you know you'll probably be holding for an hour on the approach because you're going into Gatwick and it's during a major fly-in on your chosen online network).

Anyways, I stand to be corrected on the planning numbers for the HS.748, but that's what I've observed so far in the sim and it's working out okay. I'll try to fly some of the other aircraft and put up figures for them.

Avant-Garde-Aclue

Post by Avant-Garde-Aclue »

May I ask a question regarding refuelling in the FlyNET client? If you load say 6000kg for a 2 hour flight in the F100, Land with 1500kg remaining, when asked for your fuel quantity do you ask for 4500kg or 6000kg in the client for a 2 hour return flight?

I ask because on one flight I did I calculated the fuel I thought I would need to bring the total to 6000kg and landed with only 395kg on board

Sean

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blanston12
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Post by blanston12 »

You ask for the amount of fuel you need. Flynet only charges you for the additional fuel you take on. Lets say your AC can hold 10000kg of fule and the flight takes 6000. Lets also say that fule costs 1.1 at your starting point and 1.47 at your destination.

You start off empty and ask for a full tank (10000kg) because its cheaper but you are charged for the full 10000kg.

When you land you still have 4000kg in the tanks you ask for 6000kg, you are only charged for 2000kg.

For the full round trip you are charged 10000 * 1.1 + 2000 * 1.47 for an average price of 1.16.
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LongHaul
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Post by LongHaul »

Ok guys, thanks for that. I am sure I am flying a bit heavy at the moment, wilol keep a close eye on consumption and see how it turns out

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DispatchDragon
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Post by DispatchDragon »

So let me get this straight - Flynet expects you to land with almost dry tanks??

Obviously someone hasnt heard about LP pumps :think:

Leif

FYI
Our companies minimum landing fuel (which had to be approved by the FAA
is 5000# - so thats what 2700Kgs???

Leif

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DispatchDragon
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Post by DispatchDragon »

Oh yes =- I have already programmed the Aircraft into FSbuild so for those who want
fltplans/plogs (with realistic fuel loads) I'll take requests

Leif

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Chris Trott
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Post by Chris Trott »

DispatchDragon wrote:So let me get this straight - Flynet expects you to land with almost dry tanks??
No. FlyNET expects you to purchase your first tank of gas (i.e. go from zero fuel to enough fuel for your first flight plus all of the required minimums and such) and then go from there. You take a bit of a hit the first time you fuel the plane, but after that, you'll be in good shape and you'll have a "normal" amount of fuel left in the tanks.

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