Posted on 11/11/2010 6:45:19 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
While the services are being pretty tight lipped about their plans to achieve the billions in efficiency savings mandated by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, last week Air Force Lt. Gen. Philip Breedlove gave a hint of one proposal the air service may have on the table; fuel savings.
Yes, this seems like a no-brainer, especially since the Air Force has long said it needs to trim its gas consumption, but it’s how the service might do this that is interesting. “Is four-hours of reserve fuel on a C-17″ really necessary, Breedlove, who is in charge of Air Force plans, operations and requirements, asked during a breakfast with reporters in Washington.
Instead of four hours of extra fuel, maybe the jets should fly with a two-hour reserve over the continental U.S. and a three-hour reserve over international airspace, he suggested.
(Excerpt) Read more at defensetech.org ...
*sigh*
LLS
As a former zoomie, I object.
/johnny
Four hours of reserve fuel is n’t reserve fuel, its what we call tankering fuel in the aviation business...
I don’t see “The Onion” or “Scrappleface”. Someone... anyone... please tell me this is satire...? Please?
This is a refrain used often to push an agenda. Lived in a upscale community where the fire department kept pushing for more 'apple candy' type fire equipment. This community rarely had a serious fire, most of the fire departments time was emergency medical/accident type responses. Finally the electorate got tired of the 'if but one life is saved' BS and voted it down. The fire chief managed to piss so many voters off he resigned before he was fired.
The Air Force will change its tune once they realize the cost savings of not having Pelosi as Speaker!
Does Rex Ryan know about this?
Is reserve fuel routinely dumped? What?
Bullcrap.
The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.
I’m alive today because of proper reserve fuel.
*sigh* + clenched fist + bitten tongue!
How does reducing the amount of “reserve” reduce fuel usage?
I flew KC-135s and our overseas fuel requirements at the fix were always 3 hours. Stateside we could drop down to two hours if the weather was good. It won’t hurt C-17s to drop down to 3/2. On the flipside, I’ve seen the weather so bad in Europe that divert bases were going below minimums right and left and the crew was damn happy to have that extra fuel I put on their jet. When I got my dispatcher certification, it was hard to get used to the civilian method of flight planning where the fuel reserves were A LOT less due to the money it costs to tanker fuel.
As the old saying goes “ The only time you can have too much fuel is when you are on fire”
WTF is the matter with these people? The DoD budget is less than 1/5th of the total budget, and as you point out, happens to be one of the few things the feds are doing that they are actually supposed to be doing.
Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fy2010_spending_by_category.jpg. Gee, if the government got out of (ie. dropped its un-Constitutional involvement in) the unemployment, retirement, and health/medical insurance businesses we could cut taxes and run a surplus, start paying the Chinese back...
I love that saying. My brother might substitute "powder" for fuel... The one and only time his car has ever caught fire in 20+ years of driving was on the way home with a supply of reloading powder...
I say we start mandating no fuel to fly Pelosi around, period. Also, cut the reserves on Air Force One first. Better yet, ground it so the idiot can't take off on a jaunt any time he feels like it.
Is reserve fuel routinely dumped? What?
Basically it is extra dead weight that has to be pushed up into the sky. So it takes longer to accelerate (more time at high power settings), more time to climb... Maybe a slight bit more angle of attack to get the lift to hold the extra weight aloft (and thus a bit more drag).
I don't believe fuel is dumped unless there is an emergency right after takeoff. I believe some aircraft have limits on max landing weight that are lower than max takeoff weight. So if they have to come around and right back to the field, they may have to dump fuel.
In March 1986, a KC-10 crew took off in near-zero visibility to keep another KC-10 and three Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawks from ditching in the Atlantic Ocean.
An account I read after the incident stated that the fog was so thick that a vehicle had to lead the rescue KC-10 to the runway and help it line up for takeoff.
Fuel isn’t dumped unless there is an in-flight emergency / immediate need to land and you are above gross landing weight.. Dumping is a MAJOR EPA headache. I only had to do that a handful of times in 10 years of flying.
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