iFly GPS Forum

Late to the party but I did want to point out to Mike: "And too, sometimes we fly an "IFR" altitude while VFR. (Gasp!) Actually, out here, the MEA's over the mountains in the 11's. So, for example, today we flew from Phx to P14 at 9000'. There won't be any IFR that low, and most pilots will be be flying even/odd+500 VFR. So a little extra protection for everyone." Great logic but illegal as hell! (assuming your 9,000 MSL is above the 3,000 AGL part of the rule as well as the other parts. MEA is not the hard bottom of IFR. Minimum Vectoring altitude can be far below the MEA but never shown on a chart. Not to bust your chops but one should think before they type on a public forum.

But the point is valid. We should fly the proper east - west altitudes when flying more than 3000 feet agl. No need to be rude about it. It might also be prudent to avoid possible IFR altitudes when VFR. Of course, landing and departing aircraft could be at any altitude as could climbing or descending aircraft.

There is still a nit with the automatic flight planning altitude. I planned a circuitous route from an airport in the Appalachians (SHD) to an airport southwest of it (MDQ.) However, in order to stay out of the mountains while at the same time, staying as close as possible to airports along the route, I had many, many airports as waypoints. While the flight planner altitude "multiple altitudes" was checked, it set 9500 as the single altitude the whole way, probably based only upon the first leg. The route kind of circles around from SHD to the northeast a little, then made a half circle back around to finally wind up flying southwest to the destination. Only the 9500 altitude (east + 5) was entered by FP for the entire trip, instead of changing when I changed to course greater than 180.

The route is real and is the one I would have flown if the sellers had not pulled the aircraft at the last minute.

Odd, but there it is.