Mid-Cruise Fuel Check (PROGRESS)

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📍 Route: EGLL → LSGG — cruise FL360⏱ ~5 minutes📊 5 steps🎓 Performance & Fuel

Thirty minutes into the sector: read the predicted destination fuel on PROGRESS, then reconcile PERF INIT against what the gauges actually say.

What this scenario covers

PROGRESS is the in-flight status page — distance and time to the next waypoint and the destination, and the predicted fuel remaining on arrival. It is the page a fuel check is read from.

The second half of the scenario updates PERF INIT with the current fuel on board and gross weight against the fuel quantity indication, so the FMC is predicting from reality rather than from the gate figures.

How it applies in flight ops

Airline SOPs require periodic fuel checks — commonly at every waypoint or on a fixed interval — comparing actual against planned. What is being watched is the trend: a small deficit that grows is a problem long before the absolute number looks alarming.

Discrepancies have prosaic explanations: a cruise level below plan, stronger headwinds than forecast, anti-ice running, or a plan built on the wrong weight. Each one is fixable if it is found early.

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Step-by-step: Mid-Cruise Fuel Check (PROGRESS)

  1. Open the PROGRESS page to see the predicted destination fuel.

    PROGRESS is your in-flight fuel-monitoring page. It computes EFOB (estimated fuel on board) at the destination from current FOB minus predicted burn. Boeing keeps PROGRESS read-only — FOB and reserves are updated on PERF INIT, then PROGRESS re-computes.

  2. Open PERF INIT to update the fuel state to match the FQI.

    The Fuel Quantity Indicator on the overhead now reads 4.0 t — different from what the FMC originally calculated. Discrepancies happen: fuel temperature, gauge tolerance, taxi-fuel variance, or non-standard winds in the climb. Crew updates PERF INIT to bring the FMC back in sync with the airframe.

  3. Update FUEL on board to 4.0 tonnes (current FQI reading). Type 4.0 and press 2L.

    FUEL is FOB — what the gauges show right now. Updating it triggers a fresh EFOB calculation on PROGRESS. Underline this: every fuel discrepancy you find on a long leg becomes a manual update here, then a re-check on PROG, then a comparison against MIN DEST FOB on PERF INIT.

  4. Update Gross Weight to 62.2 tonnes (ZFW 58.2 + new FUEL 4.0). Type 62.2 and press 1L.

    GR WT is the FMC's reference for performance — V-speeds, OPT/MAX altitude, descent path. After the FOB update it's out of date until you adjust GR WT too. Some FMC revisions auto-update GR WT when FUEL changes; the trainer asks you to update explicitly so you see the linkage.

  5. Return to PROGRESS to confirm DEST EFOB is still above your minimum.

    DEST EFOB should now be ≈ 1.5 t (FOB 4.0 − ~2.5 t remaining burn). Compare against your MIN DEST FOB (computed pre-flight: alternate fuel + final reserve, typically 2.0–2.5 t for this short leg). If EFOB drops below MIN, you must consider an earlier diversion to the alternate. On this trip the numbers are tight — exactly the situation that justifies the mid-cruise check.

What to take away

  • PROGRESS carries the predicted fuel at destination — the fuel-check number.
  • Reconcile FOB and gross weight against the gauges, not the paperwork.
  • Watch the trend across checks, not a single reading.
  • Level, wind, configuration and a wrong initial weight are the usual causes.

The rest of Performance & Fuel

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