How high?

John,

Do you have a "rule of thumb" trading off altitude (and therefore
safety margin) to avoid headwinds?


Two things you forgot:

1. The desire to see stuff on the ground. That often keeps me at 2000
AGL.

2. Weather. For me, flying VFR in northern Europe, that is most often
the deciding factor in selecting a cruise altitude. It will keep me
below 3000 on many days.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Chris,

600 feet AGL for cruise? Not a lot of think/plan time if your engine
fails!


Depends on terrain. If it's an all flat agricultural area, it's not a
big problem. Also, engine failures for mechanical reasons are not that
common. A calculated risk - like everything in flying (and life).

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

I like to clear the highest obstacle by at least 2000 ft.
On short XC (2 hours) I will stay about 2000 ft over the highest obstacle, on
long XC (4-6 hours) I will get high, 12,000 or higher, depending on winds
aloft.

John Harlow wrote:

I'd like to get input on opinions on the "best" VFR altitude for a route.

It seems to me it's largely based on distance, winds aloft and comfort
level. Do you have a "rule of thumb" trading off altitude (and therefore
safety margin) to avoid headwinds? Or, if winds aloft are to your
advantage, how high would someone go in a 172 class aircraft before returns
diminish?

Thomas Borchert wrote in message ...
John,

Do you have a "rule of thumb" trading off altitude (and therefore
safety margin) to avoid headwinds?


Two things you forgot:

1. The desire to see stuff on the ground. That often keeps me at 2000
AGL.

2. Weather. For me, flying VFR in northern Europe, that is most often
the deciding factor in selecting a cruise altitude. It will keep me
below 3000 on many days.

Likewise, with Class A Airspace around here with bases from 2500 to
6000 we are all scrunched into a pretty small area. So 2000 ft is
pretty common.