Interview "Scenario" exams

[Bobber]

Its a perfect vfr day in GRR with no atc concerns. You plan company contingency fuel for your flight. 30 mins prior to departure, captain calls requesting 1000 lbs of fuel because he got holding into GRR 4 years ago. What do you do?

People do it dispatching on the floor too -
"that's a single runway so I always add an alternate and 30inutes hold because one time someone blew a tire and closed the airport one time"

Its called emotional dispatching and I can't stand it.

We have QBR (fuel planning with baseline fuel for airports in range, and hold fuel built in based on historical data). I'm not trying to plan for every crazy what if scenario that happens once in blue moon.

Its exactly why airlines spend close to 30% of their operating expenses on fuel. And our main job is to do our best at managing it.

"It doesn't come out of your paycheck"

It will when your airline goes bankrupt.

 

[autosave36]

People do it dispatching on the floor too -
"that's a single runway so I always add an alternate and 30inutes hold because one time someone blew a tire and closed the airport one time"

Its called emotional dispatching and I can't stand it.

We have QBR (fuel planning with baseline fuel for airports in range, and hold fuel built in based on historical data). I'm not trying to plan for every crazy what if scenario that happens once in blue moon.

Its exactly why airlines spend close to 30% of their operating expenses on fuel. And our main job is to do our best at managing it.

"It doesn't come out of your paycheck"

It will when your airline goes bankrupt.

Bingo. I'm hardly a 'minfueler' but I refuse to plan for a 172 to pancake on the runway. We go with what's needed with the information we have, and then adjust if situations change. I'm not kicking revenue (or jumpseaters, or non revvers) off for hypotheticals..

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Bingo. I'm hardly a 'minfueler' but I refuse to plan for a 172 to pancake on the runway. We go with what's needed with the information we have, and then adjust if situations change. I'm not kicking revenue (or jumpseaters, or non revvers) off for hypotheticals..

This kind of stuff is fascinating to read from a guy who is on the other end of the dispatch release. I’ve occasionally asked for more gas when being dispatched to a single runway airport with few nearby options, in the event of a runway closure of indeterminate length. I wonder if the dispatcher I was working with was rolling his eyes about it?

(FWIW I also hold a dispatcher certificate but have never worked as a dispatcher)

 

[757Geek]

This kind of stuff is fascinating to read from a guy who is on the other end of the dispatch release. I’ve occasionally asked for more gas when being dispatched to a single runway airport with few nearby options, in the event of a runway closure of indeterminate length. I wonder if the dispatcher I was working with was rolling his eyes about it?

(FWIW I also hold a dispatcher certificate but have never worked as a dispatcher)

Not sure if I ever dispatched you, but most of the time if the captain called up and asked for more fuel, I at least didn’t roll my eyes. You’re the one flying the plane, part of pre-flight planning is your responsibility as well, so I just always viewed it as the captain doing their part and making sure all things were looking good to get the mission flown.I would also secretly always silently thank the captain if I put 45 minutes of hold and CLE for an alternate of EWR and they would call asking for more fuel, this way I didn’t look too excessive lol.

With that being said, the only time I would roll my eyes would be times when I’m getting my butt handed to me with three flights holding into LGA, planned a flight on the ATC required route, put a remark on the release explaining the reason for the route, and get a call asking for a shorter route.

 

[autosave36]

This kind of stuff is fascinating to read from a guy who is on the other end of the dispatch release. I’ve occasionally asked for more gas when being dispatched to a single runway airport with few nearby options, in the event of a runway closure of indeterminate length. I wonder if the dispatcher I was working with was rolling his eyes about it?

(FWIW I also hold a dispatcher certificate but have never worked as a dispatcher)

No eye rolling here! That's a situation where if you see a need for it, I'm going to back you even if I wouldn't fuel for it myself necessarily and add the fuel (especially if not kicking anyone off to make it happen). You have to fly the thing, i sit in a desk. So we have different perspectives. But if it's a single runway outstation, with airports in relative proximity, on a VFR day, I'm not usually not going to plan a ton of extra fuel when there's no reason to expect holding or a ton of traffic in there. I tend to fuel those places with 15 or so minutes extra above what the company contingency is. That way if something were to happen, that gives you enough time to evaluate what's going on, see what we need to do and make a decision without getting in the red. I just don't plan every flight with 45 minutes of fuel assuming a crash is going to happen. If that happens, we adjust from there.

Say for example it's someplace out west where proximity can be an issue... RNO is a good one. Wind shear is possible at any time, it can be a rough place to land. I'll put enough fuel on to get to SMF or a better alternate if SMF isn't available. That way if something WERE to happen, you can comfortably get to a suitable airport in a good amount of time.

the things that make me roll my eyes are like 757geek said above me, if I do something unusual and then i get a phone call when dealing with other stuff asking why i did it. (This is different than calling to say "Hey i saw this remark here. what do you think of doing xyz instead, or do you forsee a chance for a shortcut)

 

[karkland]

Best advice is keep it simple.

In the first scenario it looks kinda like you started to overthink things but started to wind your way closer to the right answer. What you want to do is just let the captain know via acars that your destination is now forecasting ovc015 and that it should be no issue. You don't have to add an alternate since the taf changed in flight. Also, youre not diverting for ovc015. This sort of thing is not uncommon. Now, how does this answer change if theyre taxiing out?

Second scenario is also pretty common.
Generally you want to tell the captain all the things you see, and why you planned the flight the way he did, whilst inviting his input. You may say in an interview this is a good opportunity to build a rapport with your captain. If he's just dead set on the gas, give it to him as long as youre not over gross'ing the flight. No use arguing over 1000lbs when people paid to get where theyre going on time.

Thanks for the explanation! That makes a lot of sense as I'm playing this out in my head.
As for the altered situation with it taxiing out, I think since it's out of the gate, it's considered "in flight" at this point right? At the very least, I'm thinking I could send out a new release with an alternate given that we still have the full fuel onboard and have the flexibility in case weather changes dramatically closer to arrival.

 

[DE727UPS]

No pilot is ever going to complain about extra gas the dispatcher adds. Right up until it impacts payload, put as much gas on there and you think you can get away with. Call it UFO fuel. Call it fuel for the wife and kids. Contingency fuel in case of a contingency. We don't care.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

No pilot is ever going to complain about extra gas the dispatcher adds. Right up until it impacts payload, put as much gas on there and you think you can get away with. Call it UFO fuel. Call it fuel for the wife and kids. Contingency fuel in case of a contingency. We don't care.

Unless we’re going into MDW… or BUR… or SNA. Rather not tanker a bunch of gas into 5000 foot runways if we don’t have to.

 

[retrodx]

…
Its called emotional dispatching and I can't stand it.

We have QBR (fuel planning with baseline fuel for airports in range, and hold fuel built in based on historical data). I'm not trying to plan for every crazy what if scenario that happens once in blue moon.

…

S tier mindset. Dispatch now, ASAP later.

 

[Flagship_dxer]

No pilot is ever going to complain about extra gas the dispatcher adds. Right up until it impacts payload, put as much gas on there and you think you can get away with. Call it UFO fuel. Call it fuel for the wife and kids. Contingency fuel in case of a contingency. We don't care.

The problem with that is most aircraft today are weighed down by all the extra butts in seats being squeezed in. You might be within weight limits but your altitude performance will take a hit with every pound of extra fuel added. Instead of topping the weather, you are stuck being bounced around or deviating around lower level stuff because that extra fuel took a several thousand feet off the maximum operating altitude. Pilots are always concerned about being planned too high but compound that problem by not questioning if they really need the extra fuel. Dispatchers very rarely get asked do we really need this much fuel given the weather or asked why a fuel load is so high.

 

[DessertDx]

I’ve occasionally asked for more gas when being dispatched to a single runway airport with few nearby options, in the event of a runway closure of indeterminate length.

Reserve fuel

 

[retrodx]

The problem with that is most aircraft today are weighed down by all the extra butts in seats being squeezed in. You might be within weight limits but your altitude performance will take a hit with every pound of extra fuel added. Instead of topping the weather, you are stuck being bounced around or deviating around lower level stuff because that extra fuel took a several thousand feet off the maximum operating altitude. Pilots are always concerned about being planned too high but compound that problem by not questioning if they really need the extra fuel. Dispatchers very rarely get asked do we really need this much fuel given the weather or asked why a fuel load is so high.

I’ll be buying IROP pizza the day I get asked “do we really need this much fuel?”

“That boy ain’t right..”

 

[autosave36]

Thanks for the explanation! That makes a lot of sense as I'm playing this out in my head.
As for the altered situation with it taxiing out, I think since it's out of the gate, it's considered "in flight" at this point right? At the very least, I'm thinking I could send out a new release with an alternate given that we still have the full fuel onboard and have the flexibility in case weather changes dramatically closer to arrival.

It wouldn't be in flight just yet. so the alternate is required. You can add it if you have the fuel on board. If you don't, then you gotta go back and get the fuel. Just because you haven't burned the enroute fuel doesn't mean you have fuel for the alternate. If your minfuel is 7.2, and you add an alternate with 2.2 burn your minfuel is now 9.4. If you have 9.4 or more on board (Really, more because of min takeoff fuel) then you're good. If not... gotta add gas. And if you're tight on weight, that may be the difference between everyone going and people getting removed.

 

[Bananabusdx]

I’ll be buying IROP pizza the day I get asked “do we really need this much fuel?”

“That boy ain’t right..”

Wait, you guys get pizza!?

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Reserve fuel

Easy for you to say. Every pound we burn below about 5000 I start carving a deeper and deeper donut shaped hole in my seat cover.

 

[DessertDx]

It wouldn't be in flight just yet. so the alternate is required. You can add it if you have the fuel on board. If you don't, then you gotta go back and get the fuel. Just because you haven't burned the enroute fuel doesn't mean you have fuel for the alternate. If your minfuel is 7.2, and you add an alternate with 2.2 burn your minfuel is now 9.4. If you have 9.4 or more on board (Really, more because of min takeoff fuel) then you're good. If not... gotta add gas. And if you're tight on weight, that may be the difference between everyone going and people getting removed.

Wrong, once the aircraft pushes out the alternate would not longer be required.

 

[gopherdx]

Wrong, once the aircraft pushes out no longer be required.

Depends, at my airline the point of dispatch is full power on the runway. Before that if an alternate becomes required or the alternate planned goes below C055 then you must add/change.

 

[DessertDx]

Depends, at my airline the point of dispatch is full power on the runway. Before that if an alternate becomes required or the alternate planned goes below C055 then you must add/change.

I believe you but that’s news to me. I’ve worked for 4 separate companies. Everyone has had the same policy as once you pushback the flight has began. Also at all of them if the alternate ever drops below C055 minimums whether enroute, taxiing etc. you must change or remove it if not required.

 

[retrodx]

Depends, at my airline the point of dispatch is full power on the runway. Before that if an alternate becomes required or the alternate planned goes below C055 then you must add/change.

Interesting. I’d want to see the verbiage on that just out of curiosity. All the airlines I’ve worked with before, including my present one, draws the line at push time if an alternate wasn't required but forecast changed. C055 is a different story.

So really, this interview question is a poor choice to ask unless the interviewee prefaces it with “At my current airline, according to the manuals….”

 

[Bobber]

Easy for you to say. Every pound we burn below about 5000 I start carving a deeper and deeper donut shaped hole in my seat cover.

Doesn't spirit use reserve fuel?
Someone from sprit chime in
@chichi2711 where are you