Posted for W Atkinson <Walter@advancedpilot.com>:

 Matt:
 
 I'll bet you that if we could discuss this over a beer, we probably don't
disagree.  Keyboards are a terrible method of communication.  Please allow me
to try again.
 
 If you know your fuel burn within .2 gph, you will know your fuel remaining
over a five-hour flight with a one gallon accuracy.  One gallon might be about
5 minutes of fuel.  So, I either have 55 minutes or 1+05 of reserve.  Either
is acceptable to me.  If you know your fuel burn within 1 gph, you will know
your fuel remaining over the same flight within 5 gallons.  That is 25 minutes
of fuel.  If you plan a one hour reserve, you will have between 35 minutes and
1+25 reserve.   If I know the former, I can plan to have my reserve within a
one gallon range of accuracy.  In the latter case, I have to have 1.5 hours of
fuel to have a one hour reserve.
 
 Why wouldn't you want to know that you don't have to carry an EXTRA five
gallons to know that you have your reserve?  That 25 minutes would really
alter many of my flights.  That 25 minutes really equates to quite a few
options when dealing with ATC and weather or headwinds as you have pointed
out.  I agree with you that not planning for those possibilities is not good.
 Knowing my FF accurately helps me in that regard.
 
 Your method is certainly acceptable but it costs you 25 minutes of endurance
and it costs you about 80 miles of range.  There's nothing wrong with that,
but there are those of us who are not willing to give up that capability AND
still stay safe.
 
 Respectfully,
 
 Walter