ORCA lower than MEA?

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:46:49 -0700, Newps wrote:



Ron Rosenfeld wrote:



I've not flown extensively in mountainous areas. Are there really many
airways with MEA's below the minimum 91.177 IFR altitudes for flight?

Or are you saying that ATC would not grant the clearance because of radar
coverage/MIA/MVA issues?


We have lots of airways whose MEA's are well below the peaks of the
mountains, 4-5000 feet below. A lot of airways zig zag to get into the
low areas or passes between mountains. Some just go right over the top.
As for OTP we don't care about radar coverage. We use OTP everyday
here, more in the winter than the summer. We don't care what altitude
you go at. MVA/MIA is also irrelavant for OTP ops.


That's what I thought.

When you write about airways below the peaks -- obviously there are many of
those. But what I wondered, specifically, if there were MEA's lower than
the 91.177 minimum required IFR altitude (2,000' above the highest
obstruction within four miles of your flight path).

So far as the requiremnt (for pilots) for VFR altitudes, that would only
apply at 3000' or more AGL. So would probably not be applicable here.
Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)