Refueling

[joaopaz]

Yesterday I took our DC4 on some trips between Nice and Marseille. Marseille has a great fuel price so I went for it. Didn't top the tanks since the trip back was a short hop but still I put some 40% - while only 5% would be required for the flight. The result was that I ended up with a negative result for that flight which, multiplied by 1000x, got me a considerable loss I then did some more flights to recover and ended up ok, but still I kept thinking about it.....

Wouldn't it be possible to have a function on the VA admin area to refuel aircraft, while at an airport, but independent of flights?
Or kept the refueling option out of the multiplier?
OR have an option to ferry fuel as cargo to our Hub? Even though we would have to actually do the flights to ferry it?

Also, as I never logged to FlyNET as a pilot, is the refueling option available to Pilots or only to the VA CEO?

Thanks!

Joao

[joefremont]

My observations is that refueling is a pilots only function. I have negative revenue all the time when I tank up at low price airports but assume that the loss will be made up on future flights, as long as you don't change your multiplier in between flights. Are you asking for a limit on how much fuel a pilot can purchase?

Note your automatic multiplier will drop to 500x when the value of your airline goes above 500,000,000v$.

[joaopaz]

My observations is that refueling is a pilots only function. I have negative revenue all the time when I tank up at low price airports but assume that the loss will be made up on future flights, as long as you don't change your multiplier in between flights. Are you asking for a limit on how much fuel a pilot can purchase?

Note your automatic multiplier will drop to 500x when the value of your airline goes above 500,000,000v$.

Hi Joe, thanks for your reply

Right now I'm asking nothing, just trying to stay afloat and grasp the way things work at FlyNET Yes, I figured the loss would be compensated on future flights so that was why I took off right after, and managed to recover the loss.

Still, a casual pilot may cause some "damage" in the fuel department, but I guess it is up to the VA administration to do the job and instruct them right. Also with the training flights we already have a practical way of providing some experience on the subject to our crews.

I must say again, this is turning out as a great experience for me!
JayP

[CAPFlyer]

Something that is critical to any VA operating on FlyNET is the establishment of fuel planning documents for each aircraft type they operate and ensuring that pilots adhere to that fuel planning. Some aircraft out there (mainly modern ones) have fuel planning programs although some of the classic aircraft (anything from Tom Gibson's stable for example) have them as well. If there is an automatic fuel planning program, the pilots should be required to use those to plan their fuel for a given flight.

In the absence of automatic programs, there are 2 things that need to be put together -

1) Fuel Planning general ideas
2) FSNAV or similar profiles

For #1, the easiest way to do it is to do a 2-3 hour flight on the aircraft and record the fuel consumption for the following phases of flight -

1) Startup to Lineup (this determines taxi fuel requirement). This number should give sufficient fuel for 10 minutes of taxi. If your taxi was shorter than 10 minutes, extrapolate to what 10 minutes would have taken.

2) Lineup to top of Climb. This number gives you a typical climb consumption for that aircraft.

3) Lineup to First Hour. Start your stopwatch at the initiation of takeoff and time for 60 minutes. Record the amount of fuel consumed during that first 60 minutes.

4) First Hour to Second Hour. Record the second 60 minutes of flight. This gives you a good cruise fuel consumption number.

5) Top of Descent to IAF (Initial Approach Fix). This gives you the descent fuel.

6) IAF to Shutdown. This gives the taxi-in and approach fuel. Typically rolled together just for completeness.

There will be two sets of figures you need to then create -

Taxi Fuel
1st Hour Consumption
Subsequent Hour Consumption
Alternate Consumption

In the end, you get something like this -
CV-580
Taxi = 500 pounds
1st Hour = 7000 pounds
Subsequent Hour = 4000 pounds
Alternate = 6000 pounds (45 minutes + 1 approach)

The other set of figures is for FSNAV -

Climb - (designated fuel unit per hour) (i.e) 8000 PPH
Cruise - 4000 PPH
Descent - 1500 PPH

This allows you to create 2 ways of planning your fuel and thus being able to cross check your fuel planning.

Anyway, between those methods, you should be able to make sure that the pilots always have enough fuel for their flight. I would also make a list of designated "tankering" airports. Check the list and see where your prices are lowest and distance allows you to carry extra fuel, and designate that as a tankering airport and let all pilots know that only the airports you've listed are okay for tankering and they are to tanker enough fuel for however many legs afterwards as long as payload permits.

[joaopaz]

That was quite a reply, CAPFlyer!

Great reminder about Tom Gibson's fuel calculators and that's right on my alley (fleetwise). Will work on those profiles as mentioned as look for the Hub tankering points. Cool stuff here

Thanks a bunch,
Joao