Fuel planning & reserves

Minimum fuel = trip fuel + legal reserve + taxi/start allowance. Cruise burn rate (gph) turns each block of time into fuel:

minFuel = burn × (flightTime + reserve) + taxi

• Flight time: use groundspeed, not TAS, when wind matters. It sets actual leg time (TP 1102 l.2456).

VFR reserve (CARs 602.88(3)): at normal cruising speed, flown from the destination, on top of trip fuel.

Rule scope (602.88(1), (2)):

• Gliders, balloons, ultra-light aeroplanes exempt.
• No flight start or in-flight destination change unless fuel on board meets the rules.

Taxi/start allowance:

• Start-up, run-up, taxi fuel counted separately, burned before trip clock starts.
• 602.88(5)(a) also requires fuel for foreseeable delays.

Also required (602.88(5)(b)-(e)):

• Expected weather.
• ATC routing/traffic delays.
• Landing at a suitable aerodrome after loss of cabin pressurization (any aircraft) or engine failure (multi-engined) at the most critical point.
• Any other foreseeable delay.

Trip with a stop, no refuel: add legs' flight times, one reserve on top, taxi fuel for each departure.

• Example (TC sample exam): 5.5 gph, 1 h 50 min total, 2.0 gal taxi at each of two departures: 5.5 × (1.83 + 0.5) + 4.0 ≈ 16.9 gal.

Burn rate:

• Depends on engine condition, prop/rotor pitch and rpm, mixture setting, percent power at cruise (PHAK ch.16).
• Unit: US or imperial gal/h. Convert first. Imperial burn read as US gal/h under-fuels.

Climb burns more fuel (PHAK ch.16):

• At a given airspeed, climb groundspeed is lower than cruise: same distance takes longer, burns more fuel.
• Plan climb leg separately, not at cruise groundspeed.

Trap: omitting reserve or taxi allowance, using day reserve at night, or applying the aeroplane day/night split to a helicopter (flat 20 min) each under-fuels the aircraft.

Practice