Flight Planning Software
Flight planning software is an extremely important aspect of flying for all pilots. It is vital that all flights are deemed to have a well structured and well organised flight plan which will maximise the safety of those on board as well as reduce costs where necessary. As flight planning software effectively removes a lot of the margin for human error, flying is safer than it has been for many years. Reducing risk factors and successfully predicting weather patterns is only a part of what a good flight plan does, but even these aspects contribute hugely to the success of a flight. It was not so long ago that flight planning took days of calculations which were done by hand; this of course was not only very difficult but also open to error. Today, thanks to sophisticated flight planning software this task is completed in a matter of hours. The aim of flight planning is to complete a “recipe” for the safest flight on a particular day and for a particular aircraft. As circumstances are never the same for any flight, the calculations must always be tailored to the flight in question. Weather patterns are closely observed in order to successfully predict how much fuel will be required; another aspect of any particular journey’s flight plan is that of airspace. Close attention is paid to the necessary altitude at which the aircraft must fly in order to stay safe in flight so that collision with other crafts who may also be sharing airspace is to be avoided. The calculations needed to come up with only these aspects of a flight plan are many, but they are only the tip of the iceberg as many other aspects need to be taken into account; not least the issue of fuel consumption.
Flight Planning Software; Fuel and Flight
Fight planning software is of course vital to the issue of fuel consumption and working out how much fuel will be required is a big part of any plan. The necessary points which care considered during the calculation of fuel are many and diverse; one of the main issues though is that of the weather; unpredictable weather patterns can potentially play havoc with aircraft, a sudden storm or high winds can cause the craft to be forced into a higher or lower altitude and the extra effort can use up more fuel than anticipated. Equally wind direction plays a part in fuel usage; wind which pushes a craft from behind or front can help or hinder a pilot in making the journey with minimum necessary fuel consumption. Flight planning software keeps a pilot abreast of all relevant weather conditions as they change and develop with the hours. Knowing in advance what weather an aircraft is heading into, can help a pilot to make calculated decisions with regards to the aircraft’s position and thus to conserve fuel. Planning software today has developed to an extraordinary level of sophistication and pilots and airlines alike enjoy new levels of safety thanks to the ease by which planning and navigation may be completed.