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Thread: Fuel Planning

  1. #1
    Junior Member smoke's Avatar
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    Fuel Planning

    I was working with fuel planning to maximize payloads and loiter time, while using the charts in the -1 Specifically the cruising altitude chart I can't get the amount of recommended fuel to produce the cruise time it says it should. So to test this out I put an a-10 at 5000 feet and 300 knots. With 6 MK82 Air and 300 lbs fuel. In game I was able to fly 19nautical miles. Doing the math it should have been able to do 24.

    I have checks the charts twice using drag index of 4 which is above actual calculated drag for weapon stores attached.

    Either the sim uses a different rule for consumption rate and applies factors that effect distance traveled or I am using the chart incorrect.

    It would be easy enough for me to just use what I know from testing fuel burn rates and make my own chart but I feel its skipping steps and it takes something from the fun of planning, I understand with the combat reserve and precautions taken with fuel planning that the 5 nautical mile may not be that big of a margin but 5 miles over a 150 mile trip adds up.

    Does anyone have any tips for using the charts effectively or correctly?

  2. #2
    Senior Member Griffin's Avatar
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    It wouldn´t surprise me if the A-10C in DCS are consuming fuel differently compared to the real world A-10C. Charts are used as a hint of perfomance and getting an exact true value in different atmospherical conditions are impossible - there will always be some sort of difference between calculated perfomance and true perfomance.

    The optimum cruise altitude chart (T.O. 1A-10A-1-1 figure A4-1) also doesn´t include any temperature and wind data, which have a great effect on engine perfomance.

  3. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Griffin For This Useful Post:

    Dojo (05Dec14), smoke (05Dec14)

  4. #3
    Junior Member smoke's Avatar
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    so when planning for loiter time, would you plan a tank before checking on station to maximize loiter time, so you would not need to break station mid flight in order to tank and return?

  5. #4
    510th vFS Pilot Trigger's Avatar
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    That depends on the tasking. No pilot ever worried about having too much fuel remaining.

  6. #5
    Senior Member Baxter's Avatar
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    Only time you can have too much fuel is when your over max landing weight or on fire

  7. #6
    Member Dojo's Avatar
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    I think he meant returning on station, not base.

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