Fuel and Route Planning

[shackler781]

I recently returned from obtaining my FAA Aircraft Dispatcher license at Jeppesen Academy (I've decided to change careers) and it has me thinking very differently about the way I plan routes and fuel. Which brings up a few questions I'd like some thoughts on.

Previously, I would use the provided block time from the SAX dispatch form, plug it into a spreadsheet I've created, and would receive my calculated fuel load. Sometimes I would land with much more than reserves and sometimes I would land pushing the legal limit. Looking at Active Sky today I realized that I can get a good, accurate ETE for flights and have adjusted my block time calculations accordingly. Question:

1) How many of you adjust your fuel based on forecast winds vs using the SAX dispatch block time?

I've learned that the NATS change daily based on the Jet Stream. SAX provides a generated route, seemingly without reference to the JS or the daily NATS. Today I planned a route from LAX to LSZH (I believe) that would follow the Jet Stream from Los Angeles through Albuquerque and Oklahoma City, then up north to Albany and onto one of the NATS routes provided for today. Not only did this shave about 100nm off the route (vs a more northern route provided by SAX), but it shaved nearly 1.5 hours off the route. 2 questions:

1) Are there any good route planners for FSX (or otherwise) that best utilize the Jet Stream and/or the NATS?
2) If there are, are we precluded from using them for SAX flights as the block and, subsequently, arrival times will change considerably?

Many thanks in advance for your input!

Shawn
SAX781

[airifr]

The NAT provide for weather AND aircraft separations, as the North Atlantic is the busiest in air world traffic (1000+ daily), so to cope with this..

You have FSBuild which gives you updated daily NATs, so you can plan your route accordinly, knowing that the NATs are already taking the weather in consideration along with other things.
For using the dispatch fuel/route, for my part I fly online so I mainly use the real airlines flights plan to add to the real when practical, if a SAX route is unique to the flight then I use the SAX dispatched route.

I'm not sure how SAX calculate the fuel required in the dispatch form,if same always or dynamic, I guess average from flights, best to ask SAX officials .

[David Vega]

Shawn,

Congratulations on your achievement. The dispatch fuel figures and route are there for those pilots that prefer not flight plan based on actual conditions. The fuel figures in the dispatch sheet are based on average fuel consumption for that flight. You can use any route and fuel figures you desire. Like Xavier, I also look for routes that are the most recent routes used by a commercial airliner for my flight. I also use FSBuild for flight and fuel planning. Another good flight planner is PFPX - Professional Flight Planner X. I don't have it, but hear very good things about it. It is understood that your arrival time will vary based on weather, ATC, etc. Try to depart on time and arrive within the arrival window, but don't worry if you don't.

Dave
sax702

[shackler781]

Thank you for your input, gentlemen!

Shawn Hackler
SAX781

[chriszdc]

PFPX - Professional Flight Planner X from Aerosoft

after aircraft and Active Sky this is the best addon I've ever used.

ETOPS planning, ICAO/EUOPS/US fuel planning. You get a one year server access and I just had to buy the coupon for another year, this gives you access to weather, winds and the NATs.

Europe allows tight, tight fuel planning..... heh I came in on FUMES last flight into Zurich. I almost always captain add 30 minutes or so.