FLIGHT PLANNING PROCEDURES AND REGULATED TAKEOFF WEIGHT

FUEL FLIGHT PLANNING

The success, or failure, of any flight largely depends on the accuracy of the pre-flight fuel planning and/or payload/range calculations, which are covered under the following main headings:

1. Limiting Weights
Before loading fuel onto an aircraft, it is necessary to consult the weight schedule to ensure that the given weight limitations are not exceeded the performance or structural restriction of that aircraft type.

2. Route Selection
It's the company and/or the operator’s policy for civil transport aeroplane, before dispatch flights, to compare routes to be flown and selected the most suitable route consideration of safety, efficiency and economy.

3. Meteorological Planning
The air temperature affects the efficiency/fuel consumption of aircraft engines. The wind may provide a head or tail wind component which in turn will increase or decrease the fuel consumption by increasing or decreasing the air distance to be flown. As well as weather conditions at any aerodrome of destination, alternate and en route are affected in flight planning procedures. It is most important, therefore, that the flight dispatcher should have sufficient skill and knowledge to interpret meteorological information, reports, forecasts and warning correctly and efficiently.

4. Aeroplane In-flight performance and cruise control
There are five phases of in-flight performance that normally require separate assessment for fuel requirements in flight planning: Climb, Cruise, Descent, Holding and Alternate.

5. Flight dispatcher techniques
- Planning with/without alternate;

- Planning with re-dispatch/decision point;
- Select the shortest wind route;
- Planned optimum FL based on quadrantal or RVSM FL;
- Planning with 3% contingency fuel;
- Closest applicable alternate to be planned;


REGULATED TAKEOFF WEIGHT

In many circumstances an aircraft may not be permitted to takeoff at its Maximum Structure Takeoff Weight.

In these circumstances the maximum weight permitted for takeoff will be determined taking account of the following:
- Airfield altitude and temperature
- Length of Runway and It’s slope
- Runway wind component
- Runway surface condition and type of runway surface
- Obstacles
- Maximum Landing Weight at destination

The Maximum weight at which a takeoff may be attempted, taking into account above factor, is called the regulated takeoff weight or maximum permissible takeoff weight.