: Yes, I'd call that MVFR. I believe the cutoff for east/west altitude
: rules is 3000 AGL, but that wasn't my point. The point is that the
: original suggestion was illegal in most airspace.

I haven't re-read the entire situation, but a 2700' ceiling is not really
MVFR. There's 1200' before it's not "legal VFR" anymore. Flying anywhere east of the
Mississippi will pretty much put you at most 10 minutes from any airport you could
land at if things turn to crap in a hurry.

: I'd rather fly IFR at a safe altitude and get around the ice, than scud
: run in mountainous terrain just below the cloud bases and wonder when
: the mountains and the bases will become one.

IF there is IFR at a safe altitute without icing, I'll agree. For me,
freezing level below MEA is almost without exception a no-go if I cannot go VFR. If
SCT or BKN, or a very thin layer with well-known clear above (forecasts + pireps), may
go IFR to VFR-on-top. Dodging icing in layered and unknown density is *legally* not
an option in any non-deiced single, and *practically* REALLY not an option in my
little Cherokee.

My opinions on this may be jaded by the fact that if I'm going somewhere, I
tend to fly northwest towards Chicago out of southwest Virginia... immediately into
6000' MEAs over the mountains of west virginia. "Getting around" the relatively high
MEAs isn't really an option unless I'm willing to fly to PA first.

: I flew in an area of icing potential just last weekend and had little
: problem finding an ice-free altitude. I had to change altitude several
: times to stay between layers, but in weather like that, there is very
: little traffic below 10,000 feet, even in the northeast. I found new
: altitudes to take less than 30 seconds toget, and it took that long only
: because the controller volunteered to talk to a few other aircraft to
: find the most promising altitude for me. I've found the controllers to
: be extremely helpful on days like that. Just ask for their help BEFORE
: you get in trouble, don't do something stupid and then drop the problem
: in their lap.

If MEA is below the freezing level, I'll concur. In fact, I've stayed at
altitude going IMC overflying west virginia at 8-9000' at the freezing level to see if
I *would* pick up ice. When I did, I asked for lower, got it without delay, decended
a thousand or two and ice cleared up... no problem.


To each their own... I'm a lot more comfortable if I can see outside.

-Cory

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* Cory Papenfuss *
* Electrical Engineering candidate Ph.D. graduate student *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
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