I'm getting confused, reading the TAF in this question (see pic). It says arrival is estimated at 0623 UTC, but I don't see how using the INTER falls in the arrival time. The INTER says from 0622 - 0700. That's a two hr period which starts over 15th after the arrival time of 0623.

Why do we need the account for the INTER? I can understand the SYD holding delay, listed in the FAC (although I used the weekend delay).

Have I been staring at this too long? I'd be inclined to ignore the TEMPO and INTER and just use the SYD delay of 30 min. If anything the TEMPO has vis below the Alt min of 4.4km, but it starts over 1.2 hrs after arrival.

G'day French

I had to scratch my head as well for a sec, as the answer should read TEMPO holding fuel, and the INTER seemed to confuse the issue for no value to the question. I have amended the question to reflect the correct holding, and attached the updated question.

Awesome! Thanks Stuart ????

G'day French

I'm not sure your alright with my reply, maybe this decode of TAF's will help you out.

Hi Stuart.

I think I have the grasp of the TAF, but it's the timing of the TEMPO (originally INTER, because the answer originally mentioned INTER) and the arrival time, which is confusing me.

The amended question has - TEMPO 0621/0623 4000 RA BKN010. Meaning the TEMPO starts at 2100utc on the 6th and ends 2300utc the same day, but the question has the ETA at Sydney as 0623. I took that to mean a 4digit time, ie 6:23AM utc. There was no date specified (usually I'd. expect something like 060623 or 062300). I just assumed the 6th, because the forecast ends at 0700. Meaning arrival couldn't be the 7th at 0623, which puts the AM arrival on the 6th, way before the TEMPO, so thinking about it more, everything, including the SYD delay can be ignored, (delay starts at 0700), if it is an early AM arrival. If I do that, then there is no holding fuel required at all.

It's probably just the arrival time confusion. If it's 2300utc on the 6th, then it all makes sense.

Last thing. If its TEMPO fuel, shouldn't the hold fuel be 60 min TEMPO hold + 30 min Sydney delay hold, or does the 30 min delay hold get covered by the 60 min tempo hold?

G'day French

I can understand the confusion, The bureau uses 3 different time formats in the one TAF so it is bound to cause problems trying to learn it.

as you can see in the image, a 6 digit time with a zulu prefix, a 6 digit time and a four digit time, we use the 4 digit format (DD,HH)Z for

arrivals or if the question is given in local time we explicitly say so.



Hope that helps.

Excellent. Thanks for the clarification. What will CASA use in the exam, if a question says the eta will be at such and such a time?

CASA will make the arrival time clear as to Zulu or local

Regarding the Holding the answer explains it.