I've downloaded the 30 day free trial and am feeling it out. Currently use the AOPA app. During flight planning I'm used to being able to manually call a leg a "stop" and edit the fuel quantity to show topped off full or partial fills. This allows close enough fuel used/remaining estimates to be displayed in the plan. Same as we usually are estimating in our head as we go along.

So far I haven't been able to find the fuel amount update feature in ForeFlight Nav Log. It seems to just keep incrementing gallons used with no regard to fuel stops. I've tried searching the pilot guide and googled on it. Anyone have an insight to share?.

Used ForeFlight over (2) Years. When I needed questions answered, just email them. They are fast and courteous.

My experience with computers & computerized stuff is that 1) it's easy to screw it up-- "garbage in = garbage out". And b) computers (read "apps") screw up or crap out at the wrong time. If you've flown your airplane much, you should have a pretty good idea of the fuel burn. If your flight planning indicates for example two hours en route to KXYZ, multiply your GPH by 2. That's how much fuel you're be down at that point. If you need to figure it closer, as in "let's see, 5 minutes warm-up & taxi, 10 minutes climb, 100 minutes cruise, 10 minutes let-down, and 3 minutes taxi to fuel pumps"....IMHO you're figuring things way too damn close. Also IMHO that 30 minute VFR fuel reserve is an absolute minimum-- cuz when things go wrong 30 minutes ain't very long.
My two cents worth.

8GCBC - thanks for the suggestion. Emailed them at that point and already received a reply. It is not a feature at this point.

hotrod180 - understand completely. Just nice to have it all laid out in black and white in the planning stages. My tried and true routine is take off on right tank and fly for an hour then switch to the left. That leaves an hour in that side for lots of reserve. Fly on left for two hours or so and then it's time for a pee break and fuel top off.

ADK Al wrote:...So far I haven't been able to find the fuel amount update feature in ForeFlight Nav Log. It seems to just keep incrementing gallons used with no regard to fuel stops. I've tried searching the pilot guide and googled on it. Anyone have an insight to share?.

That's an interesting feature request, to me anyway. But that might be because my 185 has 84 gals and the SQ2 48 gals. My bladder will usually give way before I run out of fuel.

Garmin Pilot: it will let you set the "initial" fuel value, so as long as you delete previous legs when you stop to fill up, and edit the "initial" fuel amount, this will give you what you are looking for I believe.

I have to agree with Hotrod. It's the old "measure with a micrometer, mark it with a pencil, cut it with an axe" thing. My rule is to be by a gas pump with 1 hour in the tanks, even VFR.

Off the top of my head, C152 with 24 gallons @6 gal/hr is 4.0 to dry tanks. I would flight plan for 3 hour legs. If my horse math navigation isn't working out because I can't even pass a school bus (had that happen once) then I start looking on the sectional.

My 1 hour rule came about because of how many times I've landed for gas and found that the fuel pump was removed two months ago or it isn't an automated pump and it is 11pm. Having more than 30 minutes sloshing around gives me the ability to hop to another airport with better fuel prospects.

A 172 I plan 8 gal/hr, Cardinal or Arrow 10 gal/hr, C210 14 gal/hr etc. With an unfamiliar plane I'll pad that by a margin and stick the tanks for a while until it shows me what it really gets.

I have an EI FP-5L fuel computer which is pretty accurate, which tells me that I consistently burn 9.8 gph on most legs of a cross country flight. My airplane holds 52 gallons, 42 usable in all flight regimens and 47 usable straight and level. Once in 11 years I've run 40 gallons out of it (way too squeaky) and a couple of times I've run 37 out, leaving a half hour reserve in all regimens, an hour straight and level (not my preference). Usually my bladder gives out before then, so more typically I use right around 30.

I programmed that 9.8 gph cruise figure into my Foreflight program, but I haven't bothered to input climb and descent fuel burn. I figure it uses more going up and less going down, and that works out pretty evenly--and it really does. It doesn't burn enough taxiing to worry about, even on long taxis. And guess what? The figure that FF tells me I'll use, using only that 9.8 gph cruise figure but without the micrometer method of exact climb usage and exact descent usage and exact taxi usage, comes out really close every time. For flight planning purposes, and leaving an adequate reserve, it's just not necessary to be more exact.

On a long cross country with several fuel stops, it's easy to put together several flight plans on FF. That's probably a good idea, anyway, IFR or VFR. Wouldn't that tell you what you're wanting to know?

Cary