Aviation News & Information | RocketRoute

Flight Planning Software Today

Written by RocketRoute | Aug 9, 2011 4:58:32 AM

Flight Planning Software in Focus
Once upon a time before the advent of computers it took many hundreds of careful calculations and estimations to come up with a good flight plan, all of this was done by hand and would take many hours which of course was neither cost effective nor always accurate. Technology however has ensured that creating accurate and sensible flight plans is now achievable in a very short time. Flight planning software has made planning simpler and faster than could have been imagined in the not-so distant past! No matter how simple or complex a proposed journey is, there will be a suitable flight planning software out there to assist in the safe and accurate planning of it. Minimising risks and maximising savings, flight planning software today is at an all-time level of sophistication and no matter how large or small a company, the potential cost-cutting opportunities are vast.

Flight Planning Software Capabilities

The main points to consider when looking at any flight planning software for commercial or private use are those of fuel consumption and weather; as software is so sophisticated these days there is little work to do with regards to flight planning software and knowing just how reliable these programmes are is a great source of comfort to those involved in flying.

Fuel conservation is always a big issue for large and small companies alike and with prices high, there are good reasons to try and use as little as possible. The successful prediction of fuel consumption along with the prediction of how much reserve fuel should be carried is a very important aspect of flight planning. By using the extremely accurate flight planning software now available, the margin for error is significantly narrowed. The weather and how changeable it can be, especially on long haul flights is another important aspect of flight planning. As the weather is responsible for a large portion of difficult flying conditions, it is reasonable to bear this in mind and the knowledge that an accurate prediction will save in reserve fuel being over-loaded is a great thing. Another big issue is that of alternative airports; flight planning software of a high quality can save on miles and saving on miles means saving on cash! Finding the most suitable alternative airport in case of emergency re-routes is an important detail of any safe flight.

Flight planning Software and Fuel

Predicting what the weather will do on any particular day has been something of an obsession with modern man! It’s an almost impossible task as Mother Nature will always throw in a curve-ball when we least expect it. With this in mind, good software can get as close as anything to knowing what the weather will be doing on any particular day.  As the weather can seriously affect just how easily an aircraft can complete it’s flight and also how much fuel it will use, it is vital that the weather can be predicted to a close definite. In this way, craft may avoid the extra weight of an over estimated fuel load and so fly in a far more cash friendly fashion!