⛽ Fuel calculation for a long-haul flight
⛽ Article: "Fuel Calculation for Long-Haul Flights"
🎯 Why is this important?
Fuel is the aircraft's lifeline! 🛫 You need to know:
⛽ How much for the route
🆘 How much reserve to keep
💰 How not to overpay for extra weight
✈️ How to reach the alternate
Let's go! 🚀
📊 Fuel Components
Fuel is divided into several parts:
1. Trip Fuel 🛣️
Main fuel for the route
From takeoff to landing
2. Taxi Fuel 🚕
For engine start and taxiing
Usually 0.5-1.0 tons
3. Contingency Fuel 🎯
Reserve for unexpected events
Standard: 5% of Trip Fuel
4. Alternate Fuel 🏥
To alternate airport
If main airport is closed
5. Final Reserve 🆘
Emergency reserve
30 minutes of flight
NEVER touch!
6. Extra Fuel ➕
Additional (optional)
For bad weather, holding
🛣️ 1. Trip Fuel — Route fuel
What affects it:
💨 Wind (tailwind/headwind)
⬆️ Flight level
⚖️ Aircraft weight
🌡️ Air temperature
Example for Boeing 777-200ER:
📍 KJFK → EGLL (New York → London)
📏 Distance: 3,008 NM
⏱️ Time: 7 hours 30 minutes
⛽ Trip Fuel: ~55-60 tons
🌬️ Depends on wind!
How SimBrief calculates:
✈️ Chooses optimal route
🌬️ Analyzes winds at all levels
📊 Uses aircraft fuel consumption data
🎯 Gives exact number
💡 Tip: Tailwind = less fuel! 🌬️✈️
🚕 2. Taxi Fuel — For taxiing
How much to take:
✈️ Boeing 777: ~0.5-0.8 tons
🏢 Large airport: +0.2 tons
🚦 Rush hour: +0.3 tons
Examples:
📍 JFK: 0.7t
📍 Heathrow: 0.8t (traffic!)
📍 Dubai: 0.5t
💡 SimBrief automatically adds taxi fuel!
🎯 3. Contingency — Reserve
Rule:
⛽ 5% of Trip Fuel (minimum)
Example:
Trip Fuel: 58.0t
Contingency: 58.0 × 0.05 = 2.9t
When to take more:
⛈️ Bad weather on route
🌬️ Strong headwind
❄️ Icing conditions
🗺️ Unfamiliar route
💡 You can take 10% instead of 5% for safety!
🏥 4. Alternate Fuel — To alternate
What is it:
Fuel from main airport to alternate + approach
How to calculate:
📍 From EGLL (London) to EHAM (Amsterdam) = ~180 NM
⛽ Consumption: ~3.2 tons
🛬 Approach + missed: +0.5 tons
Total: 3.7 tons
When not needed:
☀️ CAVOK at main airport
📍 Airport is huge (alternate not required)
💡 SimBrief chooses best alternate automatically!
🆘 5. Final Reserve — Sacred fuel
ICAO Rule:
⏱️ 30 minutes of flight at holding altitude (1,500 feet)
For Boeing 777:
⛽ ~4.5-5.0 tons
IMPORTANT! 🚨
❌ This fuel CANNOT be used!
⚠️ If you touch it — declare emergency
📞 If planning to use — inform ATC
🆘 Final Reserve = "to make it to the ground"
💡 This is your insurance for everything!
➕ 6. Extra Fuel — Additional
Captain can add fuel:
⛈️ Thunderstorms on route
🏢 Traffic at arrival airport (holding)
🌀 Turbulence (increases consumption)
🌬️ Inaccurate wind forecast
💰 Refueling at destination is expensive
Example:
Normal: 68.5t
Captain added: +2.0t
Total: 70.5t
💡 Balance: safety vs weight vs economy
🧮 Practical Calculation
Route: KJFK (New York) → EGLL (London)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER
📊 Calculating:
Trip Fuel: 58.0t 🛣️
Taxi: 0.7t 🚕
Contingency (5%): 2.9t 🎯
Alternate (EGLL→EHAM): 3.7t 🏥
Final Reserve: 5.0t 🆘
Extra: 1.2t ➕
TOTAL: 71.5 tons ⛽
✈️ Enter into FMC
Step 1: INIT REF → FUEL
ZFW: 185.0 (Zero Fuel Weight)
FUEL: 71.5 (fuel in tons)
Step 2: Check
GW (Gross Weight) = 256.5t
MTOW for 777-200ER = 297.6t
✅ Within limits!
💡 If overweight — reduce cargo or passengers!
📈 In-flight Monitoring
During flight, monitor:
🎯 Checkpoints
FMC shows predicted fuel at each waypoint
Compare with SimBrief plan
⚠️ If consumption is higher:
📞 Inform ATC
🌬️ Request different flight level
🏥 Consider early alternate
✅ If consumption is lower:
🎉 Great! Tailwind helped
💰 Fuel savings
PROG Page in FMC:
----- AT EGLL -----
PREDICTED: 9.2T
REQUIRED: 8.7T
RESERVE: +0.5T ✅
🛠️ SimBrief — Your helper
What it does:
🌬️ Loads current winds
📊 Calculates optimal flight level
⛽ Calculates all fuel components
📄 Produces nice PDF with details
Where to look in SimBrief:
📄 OFP (Operational Flight Plan)
FUEL PLAN section
Everything broken down by category!
💡 Just follow SimBrief — it calculated everything!
🎯 Examples for Different Flights
Short (KJFK → KBOS, 1h 30min):
Trip: 6.5t
Taxi: 0.5t
Contingency: 0.3t
Alternate: 1.2t
Reserve: 2.0t
TOTAL: 10.5t ⛽
Medium (KJFK → LFPG, 7h):
Trip: 55.0t
Taxi: 0.7t
Contingency: 2.8t
Alternate: 3.5t
Reserve: 5.0t
TOTAL: 67.0t ⛽
Long (KLAX → YSSY, 13h):
Trip: 110.0t
Taxi: 0.8t
Contingency: 5.5t
Alternate: 7.0t
Reserve: 5.5t
TOTAL: 128.8t ⛽
💡 Fuel Saving Procedures
If fuel is low in flight:
🌬️ Request optimal flight level
FMC shows OPT FL
Can save 2-3%
🐌 Reduce speed
Cost Index 0 = maximum economy
Fly longer, but burn less
✈️ Shortcut (direct)
Ask ATC for Direct
Cut distance
🚫 Avoid holding
If fuel is low — declare Minimum Fuel
ATC gives priority
📚 Useful Resources
🌐 SimBrief — best calculator
📊 Winds Aloft — current winds
✈️ Built-in calculator in FlightFactor 777
📖 FCOM (Flight Crew Operating Manual) — consumption tables