Fuel and Route Planning
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:05 pm
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
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