Bingo Fuel

Guides
5 min read · Aug 10, 2022

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Introduction
The aviation world is full of terms that are unusual to
outsiders. These are known as informal military slang used
in military aviation. “Bingo” and “Joker” fuel are one of them.

BINGO is a game of chance. However, a pilot in the air

shouldn’t take chances! What’s more, the Pilot/Controller
glossary does not contain the word BINGO either, as one
might anticipate. In civil aviation, the bingo field is used less
commonly so, air traffic controllers might be unaware of
this term.

Let’s dive into its meaning.

What is bingo fuel?

Bingo fuel is an important figure that most navigators use
to determine how close they are to their destination.

This will give pilot a better idea of when to immediately call

for fuel supply and land.

It is the minimum fuel a jet aircraft requires to make a safe

landing. The Bingo term refers to the fuel an air jet entails
for completing its flight from point A to point B. This shows
fuel status and minimum fuel required in a scenario that
forces a pilot to take permission from air traffic control to
land immediately.

What is joker fuel?

“Joker fuel” is a calculated quantity of fuel surplus bingo
fuel.

The amount of fuel is higher than the bingo fuel amount.

Joker fuel entails a reserve fuel, while bingo fuel jet aircraft
only has the minimum fuel to safely reach the destination. It
is a more estimated value than bingo fuel.

Difference between bingo fuel and joker

fuel
Bingo will get you home while Joker fuel is plenty to make it
to the following accessible airfield. Bingo requires
emergency handling.

History of the term bingo fuel

“Bingo” originally means to divert. According to the US
Navy, the Bingo profile is when aircraft is in an emergency
fuel situation. Pilots calculate the required minimum fuel
and give an okay bingo call before departing to fly safely.

This term originated during World War II; pilots used “bingo”
when their fuel reservoirs reached a minimum level; they
would tell over radio communications “bingo fuel.”

Estimates of aircraft fuel reserves are based on several

variables. This covers alternative airports concerning the
location, airport holding intervals, and the fuel burn profile
particular to the aircraft type.

Why should you NEVER use the term

bingo fuel in civil aviation?
It is advised to not use the “bingo” term during the flight.
Bingo fuel is a military term and might be unknown to even
people sitting at the air traffic control.

Pilots using the term during the flight will only cause
communication gaps and cause hurdles in emergency
handling. Because ATC cannot tell you what your fuel
situation really looks like.

They might fail to declare an emergency when needed.

Declaring an emergency fuel condition

As a pilot, don’t hesitate to declare an emergency, as the
FAA advises frequently. Using non-standard language or
slang to communicate with an air traffic controller is never
good.

Declaring an emergency is less expensive than having your

main gear tire blow out or risking an aircraft accident, even
if paperwork is needed after landing. The pilot should do
better to declare an emergency and refrain from using
slang in their radio communications.

Example

Due to fuel shortage, a scheduled flight between Medellin

and Manhattan crashed into a mountain. A passenger
aircraft left Medellin airport with enough fuel to land safely
at the JFK airport. A lack of communication between the
pilot and the aircraft traffic control and the pilot’s
inadequate fuel loading caused the flight to more fuel burn.

Initially, the pilot did not consider this an emergency since

they were not using the term emergency. The plane tried to
land at JFK, but because of bad conditions, bad CRM, and
poor fuel planning and calculation of fuel remaining, it
crashed. The accident could have been avoided if pilots
were monitoring their fuel gauges or by asking the ATC for
priority handling.

Why is bingo fuel important?

For safety reasons, you must accurately know how much
fuel you have on board. Bingo fuel indicates fuel starvation.
After takeoff, the EGT should be measured and compared
to the required amount for a safe flight back to base. If
there is insufficient fuel on board, the plane would need an
emergency landing at an alternate airport.

So, the pilot should calculate bingo before an immediate

take-off roll prior. If the pilot is flying on reserve fuel after
calling for bingo. The reserve fuel is worth 30 to 40 minutes
to fly safely.

Emergency fuel and minimum fuel 

A few different terms are used when referring to fuel, and
emergency one is one of the more commonly used terms in
aviation. However, it is important to know that it differs
from the term minimum fuel. These are the terms used
when calculating the fuel your aircraft needs to keep flying
during flight.

Difference Between emergency fuel and

minimum fuel

Do emergency and minimum fuel mean the same?

Absolutely not!

The difference between emergency fuel and minimum fuel

is that emergency one indicates how much fuel remains on
the aircraft after the required reserve has been calculated.
This means that the aircraft will not be able to delay its
landing because of low fuel.

On the other hand, minimum fuel is used to indicate a low

amount of aircraft fuel. The aircraft may still be able to do a
normal landing on an active runway if there is insufficient
fuel to complete the flight.

How do you calculate emergency fuel

and minimum fuel to fly safe?
Each airline has regulations that govern the minimum time
the aircraft can wait before it has to be refueled. This
amount of time is known as the waiting time. When the
aircraft reaches the waiting time, it is considered in a fuel
emergency and requires emergency handling.

To calculate the amount of emergency fuel needed, you

first need to determine how much reserve the aircraft has.
This is done by subtracting the current fuel weight from the
required reserve weight.

How is bingo fuel determined?

Bingo fuel can be calculated by adding reserved fuel, the
furthest alternate, and the fuel to the destination.

Regardless of the operation and the aircraft being used,

reserve fuel will always remain the same. This fuel must be
on board and can only use in emergency cases.

The farthest alternate instructs you to use the distant

alternate if you have more than one. A flight may have two
potential destinations depending on the conditions and the
kind of operation.

And the necessary fuel to the destination. The only

component of the equation that is ever-changing is this
one. It depends on how much fuel you’re using right now
and how far away the destination actually is.

An aircraft being refueled for a late evening flights in India.

What are the factors that affect fuel

efficiency?
Factors that affect fuel efficiency are the following:

!" The weight and type of load being transported. Some

airlines allow some shippers to load that consume extra
fuel when they pay for shipping their goods on
scheduled flights. This is known as optional fuel. This
makes them take a longer route, affecting fuel
efficiency.
$" The number of passengers on the plane. The more
passengers, the more fuel is used per passenger.
%" The weather conditions at takeoff and landing. Strong
winds, flying in snow and hot weather increase the fuel
consumption of an airplane.
&" The type of airplane being flown. Modern airlines
consume less fuel than older planes. This is due to the
higher efficiencies of modern engines and airframes.
'" Maintenance. The condition of the plane and engine
also affects fuel efficiency.

Conclusion
In conclusion, because pilots are required to be prudent in
their actions, they can recognize that bingo fuel means fuel
that is to be consumed quickly, without an expectation of
future use. We hope this article helped you in
understanding how important is to not use any slang or
informal term in civil aviation, instead it is always better to
use relevant and needed terminologies.

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Eglė Bartaševičiūtė
A passionate traveler and an avid aviation
enthusiast bringing you the most well-
founded, accurate and up-to-date industry
content.

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