Fuel Planning

"Bingo calculations are super easy. IRL its a legal thing and its non-negotiable, you always RTB on bingo."

A bingo fuel level allows you to arrive at initial or a final approach fix (5 mile final) with normal recovery fuel. For the F-16, the following conventions should be observed (AFI 11-2 F-16 Vol.3):

• Joker Fuel: A pre-briefed fuel needed to terminate an event and proceed with the remainder of the mission.
• Bingo Fuel: A pre-briefed fuel state which allows the aircraft to return to the base of intended landing or alternate, if required, using preplanned recovery parameters and arriving with normal recovery fuel as listed below
• Normal Recovery Fuel: The fuel on initial or at the FAF at the base of intended landing or alternate, if required. This fuel quantity will be the higher of what is established locally or
  • All F-16 Blocks 10 through 32 - 1,000 pounds.
  • All F-16 Blocks 40 and higher - 1,200 pounds.
• Emergency Fuel: Declare an emergency when it becomes apparent that an aircraft will enter initial or start an instrument final approach at the base of intended landing or alternate, if required, with
  • All F-16 Blocks 10 through 32 - 600 pounds or less.
  • All F-16 Blocks 40 and higher - 800 pounds or less.
• Afterburner Use: Do not use AB below 2,000 pounds total fuel or established bingo fuel, whichever is higher, unless required for safety of flight.

Rule of thumb method

Bingos are calculated by working backwards from your recovery field. Start with recovery fuel (1200lbs). Find out the farthest place you will be in a sortie. Multiply miles by 10/15lbs depending on whether low/high drag loadout. Add 1200lbs to this number.

This is a VFR bingo, if there is weather or you are on single runway ops where someone can FOD out the runway, consider adding an alternate bingo to reach an alternate with recovery fuel. The assumptions in an alternate bingo are you go missed approach at your home field, fly to the alternate base, and still land there with recovery gas.

Using a fuel consumption table

These can be made and posted to simplify calculations for a particular base or scenario. Construct a scenario to test fuel flow with something like the following conditions: 300 knot, 20,000ft, two 370 wing bags, two Mk84’s, 4 AMRAAM, one jammer pod (example A/G test config), and 6 AMRAAMs for A/A test config. Sample fuel flow at about 10,500 lbs internal gas.

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