Flight Planning and Flight Monitoring
Flight planning is about building a fuel and time plan that satisfies the rules and then monitoring it in flight. Learn the fuel definitions: taxi, trip, contingency, alternate, final reserve, additional, and the difference between taxi fuel, trip fuel and reserve fuel. Know the rule that the planned landing mass must not exceed the maximum landing mass, and that the take-off mass must allow for fuel burn-off.
Key concepts: true track to magnetic track (apply variation), true heading (apply wind), magnetic heading (apply deviation); the wind triangle and the triangle of velocities; the difference between ground speed and TAS; the effect of temperature and pressure on TAS; and the fuel flow method for calculating trip fuel. Also learn the alternate fuel requirement and the final reserve rule (typically 30 minutes holding at 1 500 ft for jets).
Traps: confusing true and magnetic directions; applying variation in the wrong sense (east is least - subtract easterly variation from true to get magnetic); forgetting to add taxi fuel; and using still-air figures when a wind is given.
Worked example: true track 090°, variation 5°E, so magnetic track = 090 − 5 = 085°. If the wind gives a 10° left drift correction, true heading = 090 − 10 = 080°, and magnetic heading = 080 − 5 = 075°. Rule of thumb: east is least, west is best - for magnetic, subtract easterly variation and add westerly variation.