Flight plan

I am filing a flight plan 750 NM.
I have 3 fuel stops appr venly spaced. I have 48 gallon usable and burn 11 gph.
I could make this trip with only 2 stops, but choose 3. I save about $100.00 by
landing at places where fuel is less that the big airports.
Many of my pilot friends tell me that I am crazy (which may be) Once airborne
they tell me they do not land unless they need fuel.
What is you opinion? Am I to frugual or conservative.
Hank

"Hankal" wrote in message ...
I am filing a flight plan 750 NM.
I have 3 fuel stops appr venly spaced. I have 48 gallon usable and burn 11 gph.

You'd have to tell us what the ground speed is for us to make an intelligent decision
on this. But I assume you're talking like something like a 7 hour total flight time
(without stops)?

Many of my pilot friends tell me that I am crazy (which may be) Once airborne
they tell me they do not land unless they need fuel.
What is you opinion? Am I to frugual or conservative.

Depends on your goals. If you're time constrained, trying to avoid fuel stops (even
if it means using lower power settings to increase your range) may be a better idea.
Of course, if you're like us we like stopping in at little airports and one or both of us
tends to need to use the bathroom. My plane carries enough fuel to make an 8 hour
nonstop flight, but we always tend to make one or two stops on the way anyhow.

(Hankal) writes:

I am filing a flight plan 750 NM. I have 3 fuel stops appr venly
spaced. I have 48 gallon usable and burn 11 gph. I could make this
trip with only 2 stops, but choose 3. I save about $100.00 by
landing at places where fuel is less that the big airports. Many of
my pilot friends tell me that I am crazy (which may be) Once
airborne they tell me they do not land unless they need fuel. What
is you opinion? Am I to frugual or conservative.

(I'm assuming that you're flying IFR, given the newsgroup.)

Do your pilot friends fly IFR? If so, do they file legal alternates
that they could actually use, and do they have the required fuel
reserve for use after the alternate? Three fuel stops for 750 nm does
not sound at all unreasonable for an IFR flight in IMC in a slow plane
-- if the weather system is big enough, a good alternate might be a
long way away from the destination.


All the best,


David

On 09 Oct 2003 17:00:51 GMT, (Hankal) wrote:

I am filing a flight plan 750 NM.
I have 3 fuel stops appr venly spaced. I have 48 gallon usable and burn 11 gph.
I could make this trip with only 2 stops, but choose 3. I save about $100.00 by
landing at places where fuel is less that the big airports.
Many of my pilot friends tell me that I am crazy (which may be) Once airborne
they tell me they do not land unless they need fuel.
What is you opinion? Am I to frugual or conservative.
Hank

I flew from the DC (KGAI) area to Kansas. I planned a fuel stop in
French Lick, In. (KFRH) it was halfway and they had cheap fuel. The
predicted ceiling was 1500 feet so I filed an alternate at
Bloomington, In. (KBMG) which had an ILS and a predicted ceiling of
2500. On the way out the predicted 20 knot head wind was 60 knots so a
dropped from 12,000 feet to 4,000 feet. It was solid IMC but the head
winds were only 30 knots. I still had enough fuel for the flight and
everything below me was below minimums (the weather was moving east as
expected). When I got to French Lick, I flew the GPS approach to the
minimum 500 feet but I was still in solid IMC so I declared a missed
approach and went to Bloomington. The 2500 foot ceiling was 300 feet.
I missed on the first attempt, on the second I broke out and landed. I
still had 6 gallons when I landed, but the fuel warning light was on
from just before French Lick and that didn't improve my frame of mind.
Luckily I wasn't pushing the limits of fuel when I planned the flight,
but I decided that I would never again plan a fuel stop at an airport
without an ILS, I don't care how much cheaper the gas is.

Maybe the most important equipment in my plane...

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z5E861826

Michael


"Dave Butler" wrote in message
...
Here's what I do: I plan for a stop every 2.5 - 3 hours. That's my bladder
range.

Michael 182 wrote:
Maybe the most important equipment in my plane...

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z5E861826

Yep. I carry zipper plastic sandwich bags and I have been known to use them a
couple of times. No spills so far. I said that was my bladder range, but what I
really meant was that I just need a break every 2.5 - hours.

Like everyone says, a lot depends on speed, weather, etc. My 2 cents:

Plan and file conservatively. IFR alternates + 30 extra minutes for Momma
if IMC is out there. Then fly the plan until you know better. There's
plenty of time to amend, re-fold charts, and examine price lists if you
decide to fly a longer leg.

OTOH, If IMC operations are involved, forget the price list and make all
airborne plans based on range, capability, and critical facilities (weather,
runway length, ILS....possibly fuel availibility - fuel price doesn't even
figure in at that point). You don't want to compromise the flight and your
safety to save $1 a gallon

Get and use some sort of range extender. As mentioned, Little John is fine,
baggies if you can handle them (tampons help), absorbent gels in a bag seem
the best to me. Even if you are determined to land to pee, have a backup.
Nothing worse than squeezing you legs together and having your eyes tear up
while on extended downwind to Runway 10,000' at Long Walk International.

"Hankal" wrote in message
...
I am filing a flight plan 750 NM.
I have 3 fuel stops appr venly spaced. I have 48 gallon usable and burn 11
gph.
I could make this trip with only 2 stops, but choose 3. I save about
$100.00 by
landing at places where fuel is less that the big airports.
Many of my pilot friends tell me that I am crazy (which may be) Once
airborne
they tell me they do not land unless they need fuel.
What is you opinion? Am I to frugual or conservative.
Hank

In article , Hankal
wrote:

I am filing a flight plan 750 NM.
I have 3 fuel stops appr venly spaced. I have 48 gallon usable and burn 11
gph.
I could make this trip with only 2 stops, but choose 3. I save about $100.00
by
landing at places where fuel is less that the big airports.
Many of my pilot friends tell me that I am crazy (which may be) Once airborne
they tell me they do not land unless they need fuel.
What is you opinion? Am I to frugual or conservative.

My wife has a rule that we have to stop every two hours, regardless of
total trip distance (unless it is a 2.5 - 3 hour trip).

This is just a question, but is gas prices there that big a difference where you
can save 100$ by going to smaller airports?

Personally, in my plane, I have 72 gallons of fuel, flight plan 150 TAS, usually
fly 5 hours, that gives me about 1.5 hours left. But I also have a fuel flow
instrument that shows me my endurance and GPH. I make the least number of stops I
can. Flew a 1445 NM trip, one way, on july 4th, stopped 3 times, longest leg was
680 nm.

Hankal wrote:

I am filing a flight plan 750 NM.
I have 3 fuel stops appr venly spaced. I have 48 gallon usable and burn 11 gph.
I could make this trip with only 2 stops, but choose 3. I save about $100.00 by
landing at places where fuel is less that the big airports.
Many of my pilot friends tell me that I am crazy (which may be) Once airborne
they tell me they do not land unless they need fuel.
What is you opinion? Am I to frugual or conservative.
Hank

you had 6 gallons left, bet the pucker factor was really kicking in


ArtP wrote:

On 09 Oct 2003 17:00:51 GMT, (Hankal) wrote:

I am filing a flight plan 750 NM.
I have 3 fuel stops appr venly spaced. I have 48 gallon usable and burn 11 gph.
I could make this trip with only 2 stops, but choose 3. I save about $100.00 by
landing at places where fuel is less that the big airports.
Many of my pilot friends tell me that I am crazy (which may be) Once airborne
they tell me they do not land unless they need fuel.
What is you opinion? Am I to frugual or conservative.
Hank

I flew from the DC (KGAI) area to Kansas. I planned a fuel stop in
French Lick, In. (KFRH) it was halfway and they had cheap fuel. The
predicted ceiling was 1500 feet so I filed an alternate at
Bloomington, In. (KBMG) which had an ILS and a predicted ceiling of
2500. On the way out the predicted 20 knot head wind was 60 knots so a
dropped from 12,000 feet to 4,000 feet. It was solid IMC but the head
winds were only 30 knots. I still had enough fuel for the flight and
everything below me was below minimums (the weather was moving east as
expected). When I got to French Lick, I flew the GPS approach to the
minimum 500 feet but I was still in solid IMC so I declared a missed
approach and went to Bloomington. The 2500 foot ceiling was 300 feet.
I missed on the first attempt, on the second I broke out and landed. I
still had 6 gallons when I landed, but the fuel warning light was on
from just before French Lick and that didn't improve my frame of mind.
Luckily I wasn't pushing the limits of fuel when I planned the flight,
but I decided that I would never again plan a fuel stop at an airport
without an ILS, I don't care how much cheaper the gas is.