Flight Planning and Monitoring
What the exam tests
Flight planning and monitoring tests fuel policy, alternate selection, navigation logs, weather and NOTAM interpretation, mass and balance, and in-flight monitoring. The exam expects a complete fuel plan and recognition of when a diversion is required.
Core fuel plan
- Taxi fuel covers engine start, taxi and APU use.
- Trip fuel is from takeoff to destination.
- Contingency fuel covers forecast variations; it is often a percentage of trip fuel or a fixed time.
- Alternate fuel covers a missed approach at destination and flight to the alternate.
- Final reserve is fuel that must remain at landing; it is not planned for use.
- Extra fuel is discretionary but must be justified.
Worked example
Trip fuel 120 kg, taxi 10 kg, contingency 5% of trip = 6 kg, alternate 30 kg, final reserve 45 kg and extra 10 kg. Minimum planned fuel is 120 + 10 + 6 + 30 + 45 + 10 = 221 kg. If after departure the fuel burn is 8 kg higher than planned at the halfway point, the crew recalculates landing fuel. If predicted landing fuel falls below final reserve plus alternate, divert or land short.
Monitoring
Compare actual fuel against the navigation log at each waypoint. Check groundspeed, wind, temperature and ATC delays. A small leak or increased burn can become critical; do not delay the decision.
Traps
Do not count final reserve as usable for planning. Do not use forecast wind without checking actual. Do not forget taxi fuel or APU fuel. Do not continue to destination with weather below minima without a committed diversion plan.