Dan wrote:

What are the odds of getting the MOCA instead of the MEA going from the
Phoenix area to Santa Fe? Anyone know? I like to be IFR for the
services, but the MEAs are a pain....

--Dan

The MOCA cannot be assigned except within 22 miles of the VOR station,
nor can you legally request it. It's your responsibility to use a
Victor airway within the rules.

Having said that, if the controller has you on radar and is willing to
assign you his center minimum instrument altitude for the area, that is
fine. The MIA may be lower than the MOCA or it may be higher. And, the
controller has to have the time to do all this.

Someday, there will be "G" altitudes charted for some of those western
area airways, but the FAA is moving very slowly. They just don't have
the manpower. The establishment of "G" (for GPS) altitudes is more than
a paper drill; they have to flight inspect for terrain clearance and
communications capability.