Fuel Planning and Legal Reserves

A complete fuel plan adds up every phase of flight: taxi and run-up, takeoff and climb, cruise on each leg, and a reserve you must not touch. Cruise burn comes from multiplying each leg time by the fuel-burn rate in the performance charts. On top of the fuel needed to reach the destination, the regulations require a reserve. For VFR, you may not begin a flight unless, at normal cruise, you could fly to the first point of intended landing and then continue for at least 30 minutes during the day or at least 45 minutes at night. These are minimums, not targets. Winds are rarely exactly as forecast, and a diversion or a full-stop delay can eat into the plan, so experienced pilots build in a comfortable margin above the legal reserve and re-check fuel at each checkpoint against what they planned to burn.