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  4. VFR fixed fuel reserve for small piston or turboprop aeroplanes

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VFR fixed fuel reserve for small piston or turboprop aeroplanes

The fixed fuel reserve for day visual flight rules (VFR) for small piston or turboprop aeroplanes is 30 minutes under the new fuel rules that commenced on 8 November 2018.

CASA had recommended a 45-minute reserve, but having considered feedback from the aviation community, this has been reduced.

The reduction to 30 minutes fixed fuel reserve is supported by the introduction of in-flight fuel management requirements and enhanced guidance material to help improve safety.

Explaining the rules

We have released guidance material and updated existing documents to help explain how the changes work in practice.

For private pilots operating under visual flight rules (VFR) only visit the fuel requirements and fuel planning pages in the Visual Flight Rules Guide (VFRG).

For more complex operations, CAAP 234-1(2) covers aircraft fuel requirements and sample calculations

  • CAAP 234-1(2.1) (pdf 1.04 MB)
  • CAAP 234-1(2) Annex A - sample fuel calculations – single-engine piston aeroplane (Cessna 210) (pdf 267.67 KB)
  • CAAP 234-1(2) Annex B - sample fuel calculations – multi-engine turboprop aeroplane (Beechcraft B200) (pdf 326.75 KB)
  • CAAP 234-1(2) Annex C - sample fuel calculations – multi-engine turbojet aeroplane (Learjet 60) (pdf 331.33 KB)

For operators, CASA has updated the following documents to assist in preparing or amending your operations manual:

  • CAAP 215-1(3.2) (pdf 448.19 KB)
  • CAAP 215-1(3.2) Annex A - policy procedures (pdf 192.56 KB)
  • CAAP 215-1(3.2) Annex B - aircraft operations (pdf 834.05 KB)
  • CAAP 215-1(3.2) Annex C - aerodromes routes (pdf 136.07 KB)
  • CAAP 215-1(3.2) Annex D - training and checking (pdf 269.61 KB)
  • CAAP 215-1(3.2) Annex E - list of headings (pdf 212.69 KB)
  • Air operator's certificate handbook volume 2 — Flying operations (pdf 1.83 MB) - see chapter 6
  • Sample manuals and documents
    • CASR Part 141 sample operations manual and guide - refer to the Part 141 operations manual revision summary v3.1 for a list of updates
    • CASR Part 142 sample exposition and guide - refer to the Part 142 exposition revision summary v3.1 for a list of updates

View the full rules Civil Aviation (Fuel Requirements) Instrument 2018.

Last modified: 23 June 2019
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