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Low En Route

Asked by: 3055 views Instrument Rating

What does the "G" next to the MEA altitude stand for?  The charts I'm looking at (South Carolina, 25 maybe) has the MEA and then below it there is another altitude with a "G" behind it. 

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1 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Jul 10, 2016

    Here is the definition of MEA from the Pilot/Controller Glossary:

    MINIMUM EN ROUTE IFR ALTITUDE (MEA)− The lowest published altitude between radio fixes which assures acceptable navigational signal coverage and meets obstacle clearance requirements between those fixes. The MEA prescribed for a Federal airway or segment thereof, area navigation low or high route, or other direct route applies to the entire width of the airway, segment, or route between the radio fixes defining the airway, segment, or route.

    The G indicates that a lower GPS MEA may be used as it does not depend on VOR reception, so there will be some cases where the terrain and obstacles permit a lower MEA when GPS is used in lieu of VOR, and if so, it is charted as you describe.

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