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MD-80 Fuel Consumption Figures

Cessnapimp From Canada, joined Oct 2001, 1319 posts, RR: 29
Posted (4 years 8 months 3 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 1814 times:

Hello all,

There seems to be a situation right now where an operator has lost its RVSM privileges at least temporarily. From what I read it means their flights are operating at or below FL280. I was wondering the fuel consumption rate of an MD-80 series at that flight level when compared to a normal altitude in the mid to high 30 thousands. How big would the difference be? Are we talking 10%? 20%? Many thanks!

2 replies: All unread, jump to last

Laxintl From United States, joined May 2000, 12047 posts, RR: 22
Reply 1, posted (4 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 1693 times:

Here is a comparison showing fuel burn for aircraft weight at various altitudes for an MD-83 with JTD9-219 engines. (Lbs/hour)

150,000lbs
FL350 - N/A
FL310 - 7008lbs
FL270 - 7348lbs

130,000lbs
FL350 - 5946lbs
FL310 - 6268lbs
FL270 - 6404lbs

110,000LBS
FL350 - 5192lbs
FL310 - 5332lbs
FL270 - 5364lbs

As you can see, flying low is not very efficient.

I presume you are refering to JetsGo?

From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California

Cessnapimp From Canada, joined Oct 2001, 1319 posts, RR: 29
Reply 2, posted (4 years 8 months 3 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 1695 times:

Yes... all flights are restricted to FL280 and below. I don't know the specifics of why and for how long. I was curious as to how it affected comsumption rates; thank you very much for looking this up. Very informative!