Flight Planning and Flight Monitoring
Flight plan content
Know the ICAO flight plan form and its fields: aircraft identification, type, wake turbulence category, equipment, departure and destination, route, levels, endurance, and alternates. Know the difference between the filed flight plan and the actual flight, and when a change must be notified to ATC.
Fuel planning
Understand trip fuel, contingency fuel, alternate fuel, final reserve, and extra fuel. Know that the final reserve is the minimum at destination and that contingency fuel covers unforeseen deviations. Know the fuel policy and the requirement to land with final reserve intact.
Navigation and monitoring
Understand the flight log, the effect of wind on groundspeed and heading, and the meaning of the point of no return and the equal-time point. Know the effect of temperature on true altitude and the altimeter setting policy.
Traps
Questions confuse trip fuel with block fuel, or final reserve with alternate fuel. Another favourite: the effect of temperature on true altitude (high temperature means the aircraft is higher than indicated).
Worked example
Trip fuel 4,000 kg, contingency 5% = 200 kg, alternate 800 kg, final reserve 1,200 kg. Minimum take-off fuel = 4,000 + 200 + 800 + 1,200 = 6,200 kg, before any extra fuel. Check the landing mass against MLM before dispatch.