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2.1. THRUST SETTING

2.2. DESCENT SPEEDS

2.2.1. DESCENT AT GIVEN MACH/IAS LAW

2.2.2. DESCENT AT MINIMUM GRADIENT (DRIFT DOWN)

2.2.3. DESCENT AT MINIMUM RATE

2.2.4. DESCENT AT MINIMUM COST

2.2.5. EMERGENCY DESCENT

2.3. FCOM DESCENT TABLE

2.4. CABIN DESCENT

3. HOLDING

3.1. HOLDING SPEED

3.2. HOLDING IN OPERATION

I. FUEL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

1. JAR - FUEL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

1.1. FUEL POLICY

1.1.1. STANDARD FLIGHT PLANNING

1.1.2. ISOLATED AIRPORT PROCEDURE

1.1.3. UNREQUIRED DESTINATION ALTERNATE AIRPORT

1.1.4. DECISION POINT PROCEDURE

1.1.5. PRE-DETERMINED POINT PROCEDURE

1.1.6. ETOPS PROCEDURE

1.2. FUEL MANAGEMENT

1.2.1. MINIMUM FUEL AT LANDING AIRPORT

1.2.2. MINIMUM FUEL AT DESTINATION AIRPORT

2. FAR - FUEL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

2.1. DIFFERENT TYPES OF OPERATIONS

2.2. FUEL POLICY

2.2.1. DOMESTIC OPERATIONS

2.2.2. FLAG AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS

2.2.3. ISOLATED AIRPORT PROCEDURE

2.2.4. UNREQUIRED DESTINATION ALTERNATE AIRPORT

2.2.5. REDISPATCH PROCEDURE

2.2.6. ETOPS PROCEDURE

2.2. FUEL MANAGEMENT

2.2.1 MINIMUM FUEL AT LANDING AIRPORT

J. APPENDIX

1. APPENDIX 1 : ALTIMETRY - TEMPERATURE EFFECT

2. APPENDIX 2 : TAKEOFF OPTIMIZATION PRINCIPLE

2.1. TAKEOFF CONFIGURATION

2.2. AIR CONDITIONING

2.3. TAKEOFF SPEED OPTIMIZATION

2.3.1. SPEED RATIOS: V1/VR AND V2/VS

2.3.2. V1/VR RATIO INFLUENCE

2.3.3. V2/VS RATIO INFLUENCE

2.4. RESULT OF THE OPTIMIZATION PROCESS

2.4.1. MAXIMUM TAKEOFF WEIGHT

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2.4.2. TAKEOFF SPEEDS

2.4.3. LIMITATION CODES

2.4.4. RTOW CHART INFORMATION

3. APPENDIX 3 : TAKEOFF PERFORMANCE SOFTWARE

3.1. P.E.P FOR WINDOWS

3.1.1. WHAT IS P.E.P. ?

3.1.2. TLO MODULE

3.2. LESS PAPER COCKPIT (LPC)

4. APPENDIX 4 : ABBREVIATIONS

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1. INTRODUCTION

The safety of air transportation is a joint effort, regulated by the State on one hand, and practiced by the manufacturers, airlines and Air Traffic Controllers (ATC), on the other hand. The State is responsible for the supervision of civil aviation, to ensure that a high safety standard is maintained throughout the industry, and its primary means of enforcement is via the establishment and administration of written regulations. The control process encompasses a fixed set of rules to secure that all aircraft respect a minimum level of performance, which thereby leads to the definition of limitations.

The "State administration" generally implies the civil aviation authority, which corresponds to the aircraft's country of registration. In the United States, for example, this role is devoted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), whereas in France, it is the “Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile” (DGAC).

Every country has its own regulations, but the international aspect of air transportation takes into account the worldwide application of common rules. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was therefore created in 1948, to provide a supranational council, to assist in defining the international minimum recommended standards. The Chicago Convention was signed on December 7, 1944, and has become the legal foundation for civil aviation worldwide.

Although it is customary for each country to adopt the main airworthiness standards defined in conjunction with aircraft manufacturers (USA, Europe, Canada, etc.), every country has its own set of operational regulations. For instance, some countries (mainly European) have adopted JAR-OPS 1, while some others follow the US FAR 121.

The "field of limitations" is therefore dependent upon an amalgamation of the following two realms:

• Airworthiness: Involving the aircraft's design (limitations, performance data etc….), in relation to JAR 25 or FAR 25.

• Operations: Involving the technical operating rules (takeoff and landing limitations, fuel planning, etc…), in relation to JAR-OPS 1 or FAR 121.

Both airworthiness and operational regulations exist for all aircraft types. This brochure addresses "large aircraft”, which means aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 5,700 kg. Airbus performance documentation is clearly divided into the two above-mentioned categories: Airworthiness and Operations.

• Airworthiness: The Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) is associated to the airworthiness certificate and contains certified performance data in compliance with JAR/FAR25.