Originally Posted by
joepilot
IMHO, I believe that minimum fuel should include enough fuel for a go around from the flare, and, after declaring an emergency for fuel, fly an expedited ILS pattern and land with enough fuel for engine reversing and runway clearing. Not necessarily with enough to taxi to the gate.
If you don't have enough for the go around, then declare emergency fuel.
Joe
One problem with any minimum fuel planning is the trust that you really have the minimum fuel you are counting on. If you go around truly believing you only have enough fuel for an expedited ILS and not even enough to taxi in, can you count on your ability to determining exactly how much fuel you will burn to fly that procedure and, more importantly, do you trust the gauges to show how much fuel you really have.
Its one thing to base your TOGW on a company provided ZFW and add up the gauges. Its another to put your life, your crew and passengers lives on the line trusting that a gauge that reads 1200lbs really has 1200 lbs in it (especially when you've never seen less than than, say 4000 lbs on it).
Everyone has some true minimum level that that wont allow the fuel level to reach. Experience with holding, trusting ATC (or more likely not trusting) their EFC's, believing your companies fuel planning ,and harrowing tales of near (fuel) starvation, all play into our psyche of how little fuel you allow loading on your aircraft.
Remember, if you survive an accident/incident, the CP, standards, CEO, will not be sitting there defending the actions that put you before the long table. Its easy for someone else to say, "fly with less". Your a team player, helping the cause of saving weight (money) right up to the time it boomerangs on you, your employer, and your profession. Something to think about when asked to reduce your minimum to someone else's minimum.