Fuel - Flight Planning De nitions

Description
As in many facets of aviation, Fuel Planning has a list of speci c terms and
de nitions of its own. The following list identi es the most critical of these
terms. Different terms or names for the same concept are often used
interchangeably by different regulatory authorities or ight planning
organizations. The most common of these variants preface the de nitions
that follow.
De nitions
Additional Fuel
Additional fuel is fuel which is added to comply with a speci c regulatory or
company requirement. Examples include ETOPS fuel, fuel required for a
remote or island destination where no alternate is available and fuel
required to satisfy an  Minimum Equipment List (MEL)  or  Con guration
Deviation List performance penalty.
Alternate Fuel
Alternate fuel is the amount of fuel required from the  missed approach
point at the destination aerodrome until landing at the alternate aerodrome.
It takes into account the required fuel for:
• Missed approach at the destination airport
• Climb to enroute altitude, cruise and descent at alternate aerodrome
• Approach at alternate
• Landing at the alternate aerodrome
When two alternates are required by the Authority, alternate fuel must be
suf cient to proceed to the alternate which requires the greater amount of
fuel.
Ballast Fuel
Ballast fuel is sometimes carried to maintain the aircraft  centre of
gravity  within limits. In certain aeroplanes, a zero fuel weight above a
de ned threshold requires that a minimum amount of fuel be carried in the
wings through all phases of ight to prevent excessive wing bending. In
both cases, this fuel is considered ballast and, under anything other than
emergency circumstances, is not to be burned during the ight.
Block Fuel / Ramp Fuel / Total Fuel On Board
Block fuel is the total fuel required for the ight and is the sum of the Taxi
fuel, the Trip fuel, the Contingency fuel, the Alternate fuel, the Final
Reserve fuel, the Additional fuel and any Extra fuel carried.
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 Contingency Fuel / Route Reserve
Contingency fuel is carried to account for additional enroute fuel
consumption caused by wind, routing changes or  ATM: ATM/
CNS restrictions. According to ICAO Annex 6, the recommended minimum
contingency fuel is the greater of 5% of the trip fuel or 5 minutes holding
consumption at 1500' above destination air eld elevation computed based
on calculated arrival weight. However, some regulators have eliminated the
minimum time requirement and some have increased the recommended
time interval in their National Regulations. As well, some regulators allow
contingency fuel reduction to 3% of trip fuel, or to speci c time increments,
with use of enroute alternates and conditional upon demonstrated
performance criteria from the Operator. At least one authority allows, under
very speci c circumstances, for contingency fuel to be reduced to 0. In all
cases, an Operator can direct that its crews carry contingency fuel in
excess of that required by their National Aviation Authority (NAA).
Extra Fuel
Fuel added at the discretion of the Captain and/or the dispatcher
Final Reserve Fuel / Fixed Reserve Fuel / Holding Fuel
Final reserve fuel is the minimum fuel required to y for 30 minutes at 1,500
feet above the alternate aerodrome or, if an alternate is not required, at the
destination aerodrome at holding speed in ISA conditions. Some
Regulating Authorities require suf cient fuel to hold for 45 minutes.
Minimum Brake Release Fuel
Minimum brake release fuel is that quantity of fuel which, at the
commencement of the takeoff roll, complies with all regulatory
requirements for the ight in question. This is the minimum legal fuel
required for departure.
Reserve Fuel / Minimum Diversion Fuel
Reserve fuel is the sum of Alternate fuel plus Final Reserve fuel.
Taxi Fuel
Taxi fuel is the fuel used prior to takeoff and will normally include pre-
start  APU  consumption, engine start and taxi fuel. Taxi fuel is usually a
xed quantity for an average taxi duration. However, local conditions at the
departure aerodrome such as average taxi time, normal ground delays and
any anticipated deicing delays should be taken into consideration and the
taxi fuel adjusted accordingly.
Trip Fuel / Burn / Fuel to Destination
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The Trip fuel is the required fuel quantity from brake release on takeoff at
the departure aerodrome to the landing touchdown at the destination
aerodrome. This quantity includes the fuel required for:
• Takeoff
• Climb to cruise level
• Flight in level cruise including any planned step climb or step descent
• Flight from the beginning of descent to the beginning of approach,
• Approach
• Landing at the destination
Trip fuel must be adjusted to account for any additional fuel that would be
required for known ATS restrictions that would result in delayed climb to or
early descent from planned cruising altitude.