Definition
The pre-flight calculation of how much fuel a flight will require, accounting for taxi, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, approach, missed approach, diversion to an alternate, and required reserves, based on the planned route, altitude, aircraft performance, weight, and forecast winds and weather.
Plain English
Working out before the flight how much fuel you need to get to your destination, handle a missed approach, fly to an alternate airport if needed, and still land with a legal safety margin in the tanks.
Context Anchor
Seen during preflight planning, flight plan setup, navigation database use, and in-flight checks of fuel remaining versus distance still to fly.
Derivation
Fuel comes from an older word meaning material used to feed a fire. Planning comes from plan, originally connected with a drawing or layout. Together, fuel planning means laying out the fuel needed before and during the flight instead of guessing from the fuel gauge alone.
Why Pilots Care
Ensures compliance with fuel reserve requirements and prevents in-flight fuel exhaustion.
Intuition Check
Fuel planning does not mean simply checking that the tanks look full. It means calculating how much fuel the flight will need, allowing for changes, and comparing that plan with the fuel actually available.
Example Sentence 1
During preflight, she completed her fuel planning and confirmed the aircraft had enough fuel for the trip, a diversion to the filed alternate, and 45 minutes of reserve.
Example Sentence 2
Accurate fuel planning adjusted for forecast headwinds and allowed the flight to meet all reserve requirements.