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National fuel planning regulations around Europe

I am not arguing either way on this but wonder why a regulator would want to drop legal fuel minima.

One reason might be that it would make running out of fuel (on a normal flight e.g. no unforecast weather etc issues) a criminal offence. Currently, in the UK anyway, you could go after the pilot under a general “endangerment” clause but that is almost never used. And maybe they don’t want to be cornered into being obliged to automatically prosecute everybody who runs out of fuel.

And fuel planning has been very badly trained in the past, and may still be in some places. G-OMAR was operated by the “FTO” (which also had a charter AOC) at which I started my PPL.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

AeroPlus wrote:

I have heard from someone working at EASA that the legal reserves will be dropped in legislation for private flights. Of course, you still have to use good judgement, but the legal requirement will go out. Now, don’t ask me more please as I was informed while having lunch with the guy and I am not sure at which stage it is now so I don’t know more.

It’s progressing well, but it needs a comparison with the existing national regulations as part of the justification. Hence my question…

For France, one might add:
30 minutes for local flights under VFR
45 minutes for night VFR
15 minutes when in flight and passing a suitable landing site

Can you point me to the regulatory text please Rwy20?

Peter wrote:

And fuel planning has been very badly trained in the past, and may still be in some places.

Or you are planning to depart full fuel, but unfortunately have the wrong credit card and not enough cash at the fuel station to do so, like happened here http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=138011

EDLE

But that would be the pilot’s problem, no?

The reason for departing with low fuel is nothing to do with the absolute criminality. It might be used in mitigation (i.e. the reduce the sentence) once you have either pleaded guilty or been found guilty

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

bookworm wrote:

Can you point me to the regulatory text please Rwy20?

http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006077971

What @Aviathor mentioned is described in § 5.6.3 and what I mentioned is in § 5.6.4 and 5.6.5. The law is “FR only” I am afraid.

Last Edited by Rwy20 at 20 Nov 13:14

Denmark: it is all in “BL 5-61” – on my PC google and that search string will take me straight to the official (“CAA”) document:

http://selvbetjening.trafikstyrelsen.dk/civilluftfart/Dokumenter/Love%20og%20bestemmelser/Bestemmelser%20for%20Civil%20Luftfart%20(BL)/BL%2005-serien/BL%205-61,%201.%20udgave.pdf

The document is specifically for aircraft (not ultralights) not used in commercial aviation (stated in paragraph 3.1).

Rules are:
VFR in general – see 5.3.d: 30 mins reserve
VFR on top – see 5.5.4: destination, then alternate, then 45 mins reserve (!)
VFR night – see 5.6.3: 45 mins reserve.

In all cases, fuel should be calculated considering forecasted wind at the intended cruise altitude, and reserve fuel is calculated using normal cruise fuel flow.

There is a requirement for an “alternate procedure” in case of not being able to land at the destination (see 5.4), but, except for VFR on top, no specific requirement for an alternate destination. This notion is invariably confusing and I just regard it as a requirement for an alternate destination, which is what I also teach (PPL), so that fuel should be for destination, then alternate, then 45 minutes. That is probably conservative in relation to the letter of the law, but it is my personal minimum anyway.

bookworm, Get back to me if you need me to translate anything.

Last Edited by huv at 20 Nov 13:46
huv
EKRK, Denmark

In Poland the best I could find is a 2004 (so after we joined the EU, if that matters) law (Dziennik Ustaw Nr 262, poz. 2609) that says:
– if an alternate is not needed, enough oil and fuel to continue for 45 minutes after arriving at destination
– if an alternate is needed, enough oil and fuel to arrive at the destination, continue to the furthest (in terms of fuel burn) alternative plus an additional 45 minutes

For “consecutive flights” (i.e. agro, training) the user (operator?) determines fuel / oil required, taking into account the usual factors.

You can divert provided the new destination still satisfies the fuel requirements.

Documenting fuel burn is required in order to prove the calculations are correct and the records must be kept for at least 12 months.

tmo
EPKP - Kraków, Poland

Rwy20 wrote:

For France, one might add:
30 minutes for local flights under VFR
45 minutes for night VFR
15 minutes when in flight and passing a suitable landing site

I would just like to point out that the first two items mentioned by @Rwy20 are not “final reserve” requirements, but minimum FOB at take-off, which I find totally bizarre.

Chapter 5.6.4. of Arrêté du 24 juillet 1991 relatif aux conditions d’utilisation des aéronefs civils en aviation générale starts with:
Nobody may commence a flight without having sufficient fuel on board to fly
- 30 minutes under VFR
- 45 minutes under IFR or under VFR at night

I do not know where the 15 minutes come from.

LFPT, LFPN
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