Insufficient fuel in tutorial no. 1

[iainsmith 9]

I've set up the FMC precisely as instructed in the first tutorial and I get a warning "insufficient fuel" both on the FMC and EICAS.

 

I've triple checked all entries and all are as they should be. I know there have been fuel calc problems but a search has not revealed anyone reporting this in connection with the tutorial.

 

Is this part of the fuel calc problem being looked in to?

 

Iain Smith

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Those messages are normal on climbout, when ground speed is slow and fuel burn is high. Should normalize in cruise (the latest).

[Flamin_Squirrel 71]

Those messages are normal on climbout

No they aren't.

 

OP: it could be the FMC fuel bug at engine start; this is easy to check by going to progress page 2 I believe it is, and checking to see if calculated and totalized fuel match.

[hopskip 253]

Probably the Totalizer bug... or, it might just be a "reserves" number set too high.

 

I havn't done the tutorial lol, I just reverse engineered my 737, MD11 and 747 experience with references to various literature in the manuals.

PFPX got my fuel planning sorted out better than ever. (Fixed reserve + Destination Alternate fuel = Reserves entry into the FMS. The 5% loading and any extra/holding/etops requirements isn't added).

 

If your PROG page suggests that you are going to arrive at destination less than 4.0 metric tonnes, there's something wrong. If it's 0.0, it's most likely the totalizer bug from a turn-around saved state.

 

Don't use the Cold and Dark state that comes with the addon.

[777simmer 117]

I agree that he probably has Reserve set too high.

 

If you have RES at 15T that means you plan to arrive at destination with 15T and that you want the FMC to warn you (with the insufficient fuel message) if it predicts you will arrive with less than those 15T.

The amount of fuel you will actüally land with at destination is continuously updated as the flight progresses and shown on the progress page.

 

If the progress page forecasts you will have 10T at arrival.

And under RES you have entered 15T for example, then you get the insufficient fuel message.

Change RES to 9T and the message is gone.

 

or

 

To predict how much fuel you will have upon arrival the FMC uses all info available to it.

Such as the routing in the legs page, step climbs and descend profile, weight and very important!....the forcast wind!

Iif you have entered those on the legs data page that is.

If however you have entered no wind info on the legs data page (or winds that do not match reality) and then use a weather programm to insert real world winds (or if you set FSX wind manually) then as the flight progresses you will burn more or less (head or tail wind) fuel than the FMC predicts. And at some point you could get the insufficient fuel message.

[jbassue 181]

Go to the Performance Initialization page, and check to see if the calculated  fuel weight is in concordance with the value inputted in the FS ACTIONS > FUEL page. 

 

If so check your reserves. If your reserves bleed into the block fuel time I think this is normal.

 

This may not be relevant to the tutorial flight, but during my routine flights I'll get an insufficient fuel warning before I import wind data. 

[iainsmith 9]

Thanks for all your replies. The reserve I entered was as instructed by the tutorial but when I resume the flight (hope it has saved ok!) I will check the prog page and see what it says. Thanks again.

 

Iain Smith

[777simmer 117]

 

This may not be relevant to the tutorial flight, but during my routine flights I'll get an insufficient fuel warning before I import wind data.

 

That makes sence if you planned your flight with a tailwind. Untill you import the tailwind into the FMC you will have that message.

[downscc 1,327]

The amount of fuel that Ryan calculated for the flight is correct unless you are on the ground with engines running while working through the tutorial for more than a certain amount of time. Not sure how long that is but same thing happened to me during testing and we have a brief discussion on causes.

[777simmer 117]

The amount of fuel that Ryan calculated for the flight is correct unless you are on the ground with engines running while working through the tutorial for more than a certain amount of time. Not sure how long that is but same thing happened to me during testing and we have a brief discussion on causes.

And if I remember correctly, the tutorial specifically sais NO wind!

[pcubine 143]

Iain

 

I agree with both Dan and Rob on this. If you get hung up on certain items in the tutorial you could pause the simulator while trying to figure it out.

 

Michael Cubine

[jbassue 181]

That makes sence if you planned your flight with a tailwind. Untill you import the tailwind into the FMC you will have that message.

That's what I meant

[scandinavian13 5,192]

...you'll note that the tutorial specifically mentions that you should reset the fuel just prior to commencing the takeoff roll due to the amount of time it takes for most to get familiar with the aircraft.

 

Regardless of how quick you think you were, you should update it.  There's no pride lost in it.

[777simmer 117]

That's what I meant

ah ok :-)