VFR Cruising altitude except while holding in a pattern or turning

4 Answers

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   Dauntless Aviation www.dauntless-soft.com on Jun 10, 2016

   The “3000 feet” refers to 3000 feet AGL – above ground level (above the surface). This is an important part of that.

   Basically, below 3000′ AGL aircraft are engaged in all sorts of activities in all sorts of directions. It’s a “close to the ground buffer zone” at which certainly most pilots are not flying in either IFR or VFR “cruise flight” (that is, long distances in a straight line) but rather are more likely to be engaged in a broader range of activities and missions, and hence magnetic courses and altitudes as well.

   Here’s a (somewhat simple) image that we use in our test prep and checkride readiness apps, avialable at dauntless-soft.com, to illustrate this:

   
   
   

   Happy flying!

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   Drew on Jun 10, 2016

   Thank you for your response, but I understand why cruising altitudes don’t apply to aircraft BELOW 3000′ AGL. I’d like to know why aircraft are not exempted from this rule while holding/turning ABOVE 3000′ AGL. The only reason I can think of is that the holding and turning is FAA’s way of saying training maneuvers (holding, steep turns, chandelles, etc).

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3. Best Answer
   
   

   
   

   Russ Roslewski on Jun 10, 2016

   The exception for holding or turning is simply one of practicality.

   If you are VFR on a heading of 340, say on an airway or vectors, you need to be at even thousands plus 500. So let’s say 4500 MSL. If your next heading /vector/airway is 030, you need to be at odd thousands plus 500, so let’s say 5500 MSL. At SOME point during the turn you are going to be at the wrong altitude, whether you stay level through the turn and then climb, climb first then turn, or climb while turning. You can’t be at 4500 then instantly be at 5500 as you turn through 360, right? So there’s an exception allowing that.

   In a holding pattern, by definition the inbound legs and outbound legs are in opposite directions. Do you want a holding pattern to require you to fly inbound at one altitude and outbound at another altitude, repeating each lap around? Of course not. So there’s another exception.

   Notice neither of these necessarily have to do with training. It’s about a practical solution to the problem.

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   John D Collins on Jun 10, 2016

   Holding is not a concept taught for VFR flight. Turning, orbiting and maneuvering are. Climbing or descending doesn’t apply because the hemispheric rule only applies to level cruising flight. So my understanding is that it is intended to allow maneuvering and orbiting and turning to take place without requiring a change in altitude. However, when the maneuvering or turning ceases on the new course, one is expected to adjust their altitude to comply with the appropriate hemispheric rule altitude.

   Under IFR, holding is a defined maneuver, but for controlled airspace there isn’t a hemispheric rule defined in the regulations. There is a hemispheric rule defined under IFR in uncontrolled airspace, but in the CONUS, this is more academic now that almost all of the high class G airspace is gone. So as a practical matter, direction of flight under IFR is as cleared by ATC and the hemispheric rule is not relevant, even though controllers tend to assign altitudes in accordance with the hemispheric rule. I have won many a bet that there is no “right way” direction under IFR. For example, throughout Florida, traffic north bound is slightly NNE, so should be odd altitudes, but is normally assigned with north bound traffic at even altitudes. Many times when I had a good reason, I have requested and been cleared using “wrong way” altitudes under IFR.

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