ATPL Flight Planning flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Trip fuel definition
- Fuel needed from brake release at the departure aerodrome to touchdown at the destination, covering taxi-out, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent and approach. It excludes taxi-in, diversion and holding.
- Contingency fuel percentage
- Fuel allowance for unforeseen factors, normally 5% of trip fuel, or 3% of trip fuel when a destination alternate is nominated. It is calculated on planned trip fuel.
- Final reserve turbine
- Thirty minutes of holding at 1500 ft above the alternate aerodrome at holding speed, planned as the last fuel that must remain after landing.
- Final reserve piston
- Forty-five minutes of holding at 1500 ft above the destination or alternate at the planned holding speed, remaining after landing. It is larger than the turbine figure.
- Alternate fuel
- Fuel from the destination, including a missed approach and climb, cruise to the alternate, descent and approach, and landing. It is added on top of contingency and final reserve.
- Additional fuel
- Fuel added when the minimum required fuel would not permit landing with final reserve after an engine failure or pressurisation failure at the most critical point of the route.
- Taxi fuel
- Fuel planned for APU operation, engine start and taxiing before takeoff. It is separate from trip fuel and is not protected by the reserve figures.
- Specific range formula
- Specific range equals true airspeed divided by fuel flow, giving nautical miles per unit of fuel. It peaks where the tangent from the origin touches the fuel-flow curve.
- Maximum range speed
- The speed at which specific range is greatest, found where a tangent from the origin touches the fuel-flow versus speed curve. It is slower than maximum endurance speed.
- Maximum endurance speed
- The speed giving minimum fuel flow per unit time, found at the lowest point of the fuel-flow curve. It differs from maximum range speed, which minimises fuel per distance.
- Payload-range diagram
- A plot of payload against still-air range showing three segments: constant payload limited by maximum takeoff mass, then payload traded for fuel, then fuel-volume limited range.
- Fuel density conversion
- Mass equals volume multiplied by density. Jet A-1 is normally planned at 0.785 kg per litre, so uplift volume must be converted to mass before comparing with fuel figures.
- Minimum fuel declaration
- A statement to ATC that fuel has reached the point where only the fuel to reach destination with final reserve remains. It is not an emergency but requires no undue delay.
- MAYDAY FUEL declaration
- Declared when calculated fuel at landing would be below final reserve, meaning the aircraft may need priority handling and possible diversion to the nearest suitable aerodrome.
- Operational flight plan
- The document accepted and signed by the pilot-in-command listing route, masses, fuel figures, alternates and weather, forming the basis for the flight.
- Load sheet validity
- The load sheet states the aircraft configuration, passenger and cargo distribution and trim. It is valid only for the exact configuration and mass stated on it.
- MZFW meaning
- Maximum zero fuel mass is the structural limit of the aircraft without usable fuel. Exceeding it overstresses the wing root regardless of takeoff or landing mass.
- Governing mass limit
- The lowest of structural maximum takeoff mass, runway-limited mass, obstacle-limited mass and climb-limited mass governs the planned takeoff mass for a given runway.
- Runway-limited mass
- The maximum mass from which the aircraft can accelerate, suffer an engine failure and stop, or continue to 35 ft, within the available runway length.
- Obstacle-limited mass
- The maximum mass allowing the net takeoff flight path to clear all obstacles by the required margin, often lower than structural or runway limits at constrained aerodromes.
- Destination alternate rule
- An alternate must be nominated when the destination forecast at ETA plus one hour is below the applicable minima, or when no instrument approach is available.
- Weather minima at alternate
- The alternate must be forecast at or above its operating minima for the relevant approach at the expected time of arrival, considering approach type and crew qualification.
- Technical log purpose
- The aircraft technical log records defects, fuel and oil state and serviceability. It must be carried on board and consulted before flight planning is finalised.
- Fuel figure reconciliation
- Planned fuel mass must be converted to volume using actual density, then compared with tank capacity and uplift figures so that mass and volume agree before departure.
- Holding fuel calculation
- Holding fuel equals holding fuel flow multiplied by holding time. It is computed at the planned holding mass and altitude, typically 1500 ft above the alternate.
- Climb fuel and distance
- Climb fuel and distance are read from the aircraft flight manual for takeoff mass, temperature, pressure altitude and speed schedule, then subtracted from trip totals.
- Cruise altitude selection
- Cruise level is chosen from the step-climb table where specific range is highest, subject to airway direction, semicircular rules and available oxygen or pressurisation.
- Integrated range method
- Range is found by summing fuel-flow divided by groundspeed over each segment, accounting for wind and temperature. Headwind reduces range, tailwind increases it.
- Wind effect on trip fuel
- A headwind raises trip fuel for a fixed distance because the aircraft spends more time in the air. Planning uses forecast winds at each cruise level.
- Fuel tankering
- Carrying extra fuel from a cheaper aerodrome to avoid higher prices elsewhere. It increases mass and burn, so the decision compares price saving against extra trip fuel.
- Minimum fuel at destination
- The fuel remaining on arrival must never be planned below final reserve. Any actual arrival below that figure is an occurrence requiring a written report.
- Takeoff fuel total
- Takeoff fuel equals taxi fuel plus trip, contingency, alternate, final reserve, additional and any extra fuel. It is the figure entered on the operational flight plan.