This question isn't specific to the B727; however, since the members here (especially Lou and Mark) have been most helpful I figured maybe one of the pilots here could assist me.

What I want to do is learn how to figure my own fuel required for a flight. In the end I will bring this lesson back to my VA and add to the knowledge base there. No one has specifically tackled this question although there are so many resources provided. Those resources figure the fuel for you. That's not what I want, I want to figure the fuel on my the old fashioned way. I tell my kids "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life." These last few years of flight simming I have been getting fish. Now I want to feed myself.

Here is what I know but this isn't much.

1. At cruise altitude record the current fuel.
2. After one hour record current fuel.
3. This provides rough fuel use per hour.
4. Divide by 60 for fuel use per minute.
5. Multiply fpm times the time it will take to complete a flight from A to B.
6. Multiply fpm by the time it will take to fly from B to alternate C.
7. Multiply fpm by 45 for reserves
8. Multiply fpm by 30 for taxi
9. Add that all together for the total fuel you will need for a flight from A to B with alternate C.

Granted none of this takes into account weather.

Is there another way to figure fuel per hour without making a flight in the plane for one hour at cruise altitude?

If you were asked to teach this class, how to plan fuel, to a group of none-pilots how would you teach it?

Thank you for any help,
Ed