vroute has a new update now to those who have vroute premium now you can select sids and stars as well and import them to you fmc and few more added things as well if you have vroute premium no need to update since when you have opened up vroute you should see the changes already

can you try fltplan.com it's free and you need to register.?

I can wholeheartedly recommend. I have compared its values to values of performance calculators for a certain local operator and most differnce I got was attributable to rounding difference.

Thanks again Peter for that useful info !Fred.

Alright, I bought TOPCAT, and upon it's first use I have to say I really like it already. Really easy to use. I used it to calculate my fuel, and this is what I got.Route: EHAM - LEBL Distance: 673.4 nm (filled in manually)ALTN: LEPATotal fuel on board [KGS]: 7215Trip fuel: 5180Taxi fuel: 115Remaining fuel: 1920Ok, obviously, 7215 KGS is what I should load. But which reserves should I use? Equal to the remaining fuel? So reserves will be 1.92?

For what it's worth, the types of questions in the OP are really more for a dispatcher than for pilots - pilots don't do the flight planning and these types of calculations at a major airline - they come in a stack of papers from dispatch and often the route and performance data can be loaded in directly over the ACARS.

Topcat, at this point, should not be considered a fuel planning tool. It does not know the winds, it does not know your route, all it does is estimate general fuel burn.from pilots perspective, you set in reserve what you want, or if it is airline SOP, what they want. Often it will be calculated to be the minimum fuel you need to burn from missed approach point to your alternate, that means, if it goes off (and FMC tells you you are using reserve fuel), then you better ask the ATC for a vector to alternate.

(and FMC tells you you are using reserve fuel), then you better ask the ATC for a vector to alternate.

I hear this from time to time and my apologies if I misunderstood. But . . . If I'm approaching my destination, and the airport/weather is fine, I'm landing at the destination whether or not the FMC says I'm using res fuel.

Depends on what you have set in the FMC. if you have set it as I have suggested in this specific case, that could have you land under minimum legal fuel.Of course if you have set it up differently, or your company SOP is different, or rules concerning minimal fuel in your jurisdiction are different... than your course of action might be better and advisable.

Edited January 2, 201214 yr by Fabo

If you can land at DEST with 10,000lbs or divert to ALT, burn 5,000lbs of ALT fuel, and now be at another piece of pavement with 5,000lbs, I'll choose the former.Just because you are showing that you overburned, it doesn't make sense to divert if both airports/weather are similar and the ALT is more distant.

That does make sense. unfortunately, regulations do not always do, and in that regard, it might be paradoxically more of a problem for you to land with 10K at DEST than to end up with 5K at ALTN.but this is irrellevant here, really.