Originally Posted by
AirbusPTC
Hmmm. But what about
: 14CFR 91.167a) No
person may operate a
civil aircraft in
IFR conditions unless it carries enough fuel (considering weather reports and forecasts and weather conditions) to -
(1) Complete the flight to the first
airport of intended landing;
(2) Except as provided in
paragraph (b) of this section, fly from that
airport to the
alternate airport; and
(3) Fly after that for 45 minutes at normal cruising speed.
That's not only a "dispatch" requirement right? That's a requirement to OPERATE in IMC period.
There's been debate over the years due to the language (slightly vague IMO) in this section. Also debate on "IFR" vs. "IMC".
But I think it's safe to say that you're good with your dispatch planning up until you become aware that you're going to come up short on reserves, and then you should divert somewhere else or stop and get more gas before continuing.
In many cases, by the time you realistically know you're short on gas, the destination or alternate are going to be the nearest/quickest diversion points anyway.