Fuel reserves

E_Dawg said:
As I understand it, tankering fuel in a plane with a lighter GTOW such as a pa31 does not cost nearly as much percent-burned/percent-tankered as it does in a larger aircraft. Is this accurate?
Click to expand...

This is correct. The cost goes up exponentially with weight.

If so, departing with a little extra gas in a light twin may not be nearly as bad for the bottom line as it would be in a larger plane.
Click to expand...

No doubt - a little extra fuel is always a good thing! It can, however, start to add up when you're buying from "Bob's Overpriced AvGas Emporium". And, if you're buying "comfort fuel"*, and have to leave cargo behind, you're an idiot that doesn't rate a commercial pilot certificate. (Not directed at you, E-Dawg).

*Comfort Fuel is fuel that is not needed legally, or in the name of safety. It's only carried because " . . . you're the PIC, and can".
 
Ya see we can't dip the tanks! In the Chieftain the fuel caps are so far out on the tank that once you burn a gallon or two out of each tank it'll look dry to ya.

EDIT: And leaving cargo behind in a Chieftain is SOP here if we have to depart with full tanks. We're paying like $1.50 a gallon for gas here in base, so if we have to get it out from some FBO for $5.00 a gallon we're really screwing ourselves. But rarely do we leave cargo anywhere.
 
jtrain609 said:
Ya see we can't dip the tanks! In the Chieftain the fuel caps are so far out on the tank that once you burn a gallon or two out of each tank it'll look dry to ya.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the same with the Baron. Screwy airplane companies . . .

And leaving cargo behind in a Chieftain is SOP here if we have to depart with full tanks.
Click to expand...

Oh, well that goes without saying. I'm not going to take cargo and go without enough fuel. But, I'm not going to take extra fuel and leave cargo, just because I can. :)



We're paying like $1.50 a gallon for gas here in base
Click to expand...

No way - how did you guys score that?

In Orlando, we get it pretty sweet too. We buy it at cost, and pay a pumping fee, so it's not bad.
 
I will not argue with a dispatcher EVER about the fuel I will take.

If the release say 2000 and I want to have 2400 pounds of fuel onboard a simple call will need to be made.

"Yeah they over fueled us we now have 2400 pounds of fuel on board change the numbers"

In all honesty though, in my year and a half year I have NEVER heard of or saw ANY crew have to argue with dispatch about fuel. They are very good about that. If a crew wants more they get it.
 
CFIse said:
when it comes to contract renewal or contract concessions (customer to regional, not pilot contract) that the issue won't come up that "partner A is burning more than partner B" for the same trips.
Click to expand...

Oh I agree, those are the companies words, not mine. However they have seen an incredible increase in the lifespan of their CF34's due to not having oil coaking. They told us they got a 33% increase in TBO/hot section inspection times over every other US carrier so that amounts to a huge indirect cost savings. Kinda like maintaining your car - if you don't do any oil changes on it for 3 years it's costs are less until you blow your engine. Changing your oil costs more initially but when factored into the long term it greatly reduces it's operating costs over having to purchase a new engine every 3 years.

According to the latest government filings:
Airline / Fuel used per block hour, CRJ-200 / average stage length
AWAC / 339 gal / 430 mi / 1:34
Mesa / 348 gal / 462 mi / 1:38

So it appears as though even though we carry more gas, the numbers are very close (ie your comment about diversions, something that has only happened once to me here so far due to all the extra gas dispatch puts on) even with a shorter average stage length. A shorter stage length would imply more wasted time spent on the ground and flying lower, so that goes to show that Mesa's way might *possibly* not be the best way to go about getting things done. That data is still while the RJ's were painted in UAL colors operating in IAD and ORD (with associated delays). If anything, the numbers are extremely close.

On a side note, it "costs" 6 pounds per 1000 pounds of fuel extra (per aerodata). So essentially it "costs" $2 to carry an extra 1000 pounds of gas.

I will say that dispatch can be a bit over conservative sometimes - and we call and have the fuel reduced to get all the people and bags on board we can.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top