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Mission

Flying with the minimum legal fuel requirement

A broken fuel truck leads you to make a flight with the bare minimum legal fuel reserve. Review the legal requirements and think through various implications.

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Departure Airport

Identifier: KOLM
Name: Olympia Regional Airport 
Location: Olympia, Washington, USA

Distance: 32 nautical miles

PilotEdge ATC coverage: OLM, SEA

Arrival Airport

Airport identifier: KPWT
Name:  Bremerton National Airport
Location: Bremerton, Washington, USA

General Considerations and Preflight Review

  • You are starting a long cross-country flight, but when you pre-flighted the plane, you noticed you didn’t have enough fuel, and the fuel truck along with the fuel farm at Olympia is broken. You decide to fly to Bremerton National to get more fuel, but you only have the bare legal minimum to get there.

  • Payload: 2 Passengers (Weights 195, 200), 100 lbs of cargo.
  • Fuel: Set fuel required for the minimum legally required to get to Bremerton. (See 14 CFR § 91.151 for VFR, and 14 CFR § 91.167 for IFR.)
  • What is the meaning of minimum fuel and emergency fuel? (Suggested reading)
  • You may simulate your uncontrolled airport radio calls at Bremerton on Discord for instructor feedback
  • Suggested Reading/References: PHAK Chapter 15, SEA Terminal Area Chart (TAC)

If you want to fly under VFR:

  • Set clear skies if real-world weather is IMC.
  • Since we have a decent amount of baggage onboard, can we place the bags in a specific area/way to have a faster groundspeed to help with our flight?
  • What would be some pros and cons of doing so?

If you want to fly under IFR:

  • If real-world weather is VMC or near/below minimums for the ILS, make the weather 900’ and 1 1/2 miles with stratus clouds.
  • If you did takeoff with the bare minimum fuel quantity, if you need to execute a missed approach at Bremerton for some reason, what would you do next?
  • Request to fly the ILS RWY 20. It has many notes; make sure you read and understand all of them.
  • On the approach plate, what is the little x with “CFFWM” next to it, as highlighted below? Suggested reference: AIM 1−1−18. Global Positioning System (GPS)—j. 2. Computer Navigation Fix (CNF)

(Approach Plate Link)

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