Flight Planning and Monitoring
Flight Planning and Monitoring tests fuel policy, alternate planning, PLOG use, in-flight monitoring and re-planning. The exam favours ICAO/EU fuel figures and clear sequencing.
Fuel plan
Standard figures: taxi fuel, trip fuel, contingency (usually 5% of trip), alternate fuel, final reserve (30 minutes at holding for IFR), and extra fuel. Final reserve is not usable for normal planning; it is protected. An alternate is required unless weather allows a no-alternate plan.
Worked example
Trip fuel 120 kg; contingency 5% = 6 kg; alternate 25 kg; final reserve 30 min at 40 kg/h = 20 kg; taxi 5 kg. Minimum before start = 5 + 120 + 6 + 25 + 20 = 176 kg. If actual burn is 10 kg higher at the halfway point, land with less than planned unless you re-plan or add fuel.
Monitoring
Compare actual fuel against the PLOG at each waypoint; check groundspeed, wind and ETA. A growing deficit requires action early, not at destination.
Traps
Counting final reserve as usable; applying contingency to the whole fuel load; forgetting taxi fuel; ignoring alternate fuel when weather is marginal.