offline flying - choosing altitudes

ghunter · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:11 pm

Hello all,
I am a new member of CVA and am gettin ready for my first flight using a class 1 aircraft. How do choose the altitude at which to conduct the flight. I will be using radar contact for the flight.
Garfield

Aharon · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:23 pm

Picking cruising altitude depends upon maximum cruising altitude of what plane you pick for class one.

Also, it depends upon distance between two airports.

For instance, 757 usually cruises at FL350 BUT for KLGA to KDCA or KIAD, FL200 is recommended for that short flight.

Also, it depends on geographic areas of where you fly.

I flew ATR-72 (freeware from ISDT) few times and its official cruising altitude was FL200.

Also, remember going west or east requires different altitiude.

Aharon

CVA9214 · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:43 pm

ghunter wrote:

Hello all,
I am a new member of CVA and am gettin ready for my first flight using a class 1 aircraft. How do choose the altitude at which to conduct the flight. I will be using radar contact for the flight.
Garfield

Remember East is Least and West is Best.

0 to 179 is odd

180 to 359 is even

By the way welcome to CVA

Edited By CVA9214 on 1268066837

CVA0190 · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:37 pm

Garfield,
Welcome to CVA! I generally fly the Class 1's in a prop plane no more than 8-10000 ft. AGL, usually lower to enjoy the views. The shorter the flight, the lower I fly. Then Radar Contact is pretty good at getting you to the right altitude at the right time for approaches. Just be careful in the mountains!

CVA0014 · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:54 pm

http://rossiya.123.fr/tutos/niveaux.pdf

Country - Low altitude airspace - High altitude airspace
Germany...surface – FL245...FL245 – FL600
USA...surface – 18000 ft...FL180 – FL600 (and Canuckistan)
Australia...surface - 10000 ft...FL100 – FL600
UK...FL070 – FL245 (not included)...FL245 – FL600
Russian Fed....0000 m – 7800 m...8100 m – unlimited

Separation between aircraft below FL290 is 1000 ft and above FL290 the separation is 2000 ft (for aircraft in same direction, aircraft in reverse direction are exactly 1/2 way between these levels).

On North Atlantic Track all flightlevels from FL310 up to FL400 are used in each direction. So separation for aircrafts going same direction is 1000 ft.

For westbound flights he has to choose even numbered altitudes/FL’s .... for eastbound flights odd altitudes/FL’s.

Edited By CVA0014 on 1268085309

CVA7769 · Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:12 am

ghunter wrote:

Hello all,
I am a new member of CVA and am gettin ready for my first flight using a class 1 aircraft. How do choose the altitude at which to conduct the flight. I will be using radar contact for the flight.
Garfield

Hi Garfield,

Welcome to CVA and thanks for your question. As you see here we are a pretty helpful group and everyone has their own opinions on what / how to fly hehe.

Maybe let's start first with what Class 1 aircraft are you planning to fly? There are many choices, and depending on the aircraft you may be limited to height based on the aircrafts maximum performance ratings.

Second, can you tell us possibly what route you are planning to fly (airport departure / destination)?

Start with that and we can probably give you a good idea from there. Otherwise, I agree with one of the other members comments flying 8000 - 10000 feet AGL as it makes for nice views.

Cheers and Welcome Aboard! :thumbsup:

CVA0014 · Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:29 am

If you don't leave a wake when flying over water then you're too high...

Marty CVA1974 · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:27 am

CVA0014 wrote:

If you don't leave a wake when flying over water then you're too high...

I have a hard time staying A Wake when flying over solid ground when we do the multi flights ,,, :p

(Just kiddin

, I'm in one of those moods again)

mattymsboi · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 3:42 am

Hey Garfield,

Welcome to CVA!
I think its important to note here that when your flying offline you generally do not need to follow such rules like proper cruise altitudes and such, but I do highly reccomend getting into the habit of doing things the proper way if you do intend on flying online VATSIM as controllers will enforce most real life flight patterns. Or if you want to be as realistic as possible even when flying offline.

I like to use this as a general rule of thumb for proper cruise altitudes...

If your Flying EAST... you need an ODD Flight level

If your Flying WEST.... you need an EVEN Flight level

Quickly in my head, I think EAST?ODD!
WEST?EVEN!

Its kinda stupid but it works for me everytime even when controlling over at Toronto I use this method. It does get a bit tricky when your flying True north and south but you'll always be moving a little east or a little west! :p

Second thing i'd like to say is, if your flying regionally, you might want to make sure some airports don't have an altitude limit, for example...
at Toronto Pearson, if you want to fly to either CYQG, KDTW, or detriot area airports, you can only fly up to FL220(this isonly in effect when departing FROM Pearson!) same goes for KCLE and area airports, or if your travelling to KBUF maximun altitude is 9000, and KROC is 15000.

As for airtraffic separation, generally speaking is 1000ft vertically and 3nm laterally, but then again things called wake turbulences between larger and smaller aircraft can increase this lateral separation, but not to worry, controllers take care of this!

Hope some parts of my rant are helpfull!

Also I hope you enjoy CVA as much as I did(and still do today) when I first joined!

-Matt

Rob Vanderkam · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:30 pm

Yeah, Easterners are odd. That works for me.

But CYYZ to KRDU??? Very confusing. I file it at FL380 because the first leg has hdg 185, but after a couple of waypoints, the heading is more or less 175.

Luckily, on VATSIM, crashing means never having to say you're sorry.

CVA0014 · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 4:39 pm

I remembered cardinal points with W E, so west was at 9 o'clock and east was at 3 o'clock.

I use it for flight altitudes too, W E, west is even, that means east is odd by default.

ghunter · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 6:50 pm

Hello all,
Thanks for the great responses to my question. i will be dlying class 1 aircraft for now until I get the required time. more than likely my flights will use the Dash 8, b1900, or the ATR72. I guess I will pick an altitude in the teens depending on distance and then have Radar Contact correct me. Again thanks for the terrific responses.
Garfield Hunter

cva0182 · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 9:15 pm

Everyone else pretty much already got to what I was going to say. Even thousands going west, odd thousands going east. And select an altitude based on the performance of your aircraft, which you can easily look up from Wikipedia or another source.

CVA0014 · Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 10:32 pm

When in doubt, use the built-in flight planner in FS, it will give you an altitude.

offline flying - choosing altitudes

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