flying high

[Daddy O]

No this thread is not about stoners.

So I have made my last few flights long ones, hoping to fly up in the flight levels, but for some reason I cannot get clearance for fl220, or if I do I don't stay there long. It seems like there is plenty of room up there, how come I have such a hard time cruising at those altitudes? There must be technical reasons for it.

[Eugene Zaporozhets]

TEC routes have fixed altitudes, they're mandatory. Check here if there's a TEC for your departure/destination pair: http://www.fly.faa.gov/rmt/nfdc_preferr ... tabase.jsp The reason TECs are so low is because Socal's ceiling is 13000ft, and TECs are designed to remain below it.

Outside of the TEC system, you'll get any cruise altitude you like.

[Alex Stjepanovic]

Adam I take it this is in regards to your flight into SBP the other day?

I was the controller for about half of that flight, but right around the time that you had connection issue, there was a shift change, so I while I didn't control you after that, I did overhear some of the transmissions. The instruction that you were given was "descend at pilot's discretion, maintain 8000(Or was it 9000?)". This basically doesn't require you to descend immediately, but as the phraseology implies, you can begin the descent at any time you are ready.

[Daddy O]

So what kind of a flight plan would I file if I wanted to take a twin engine like a B200 up to the flight levels?

[Keith Smith]

It's not the type of plan, IFR is IFR. it's the city pairs that are involved. If a TEC route exists, you're getting it, and will be assigned the altitude associated with the TEC route.

You could either request higher from the approach controller once you're in the air, or you could simply fly between two airports for which a TEC route doesn't exist.

Pick two airports that aren't within a TRACON and you'll generally get what you want. DAG - IFP would be a good example. Anything out of GCN, IGM, BLH, etc.

Or, anything in/out of Vegas.

[arb65912]

Eugene, thank you very much for point out the TEC route link.
Keith, I not that you are extremely busy but I understand that providing that link in PE Training Sources is on the to do list.

I have to admit, I was a bit scarred and surprised when I was told to fly different heading instead of what I have planned using the old link.
Thank God, Eugene, who was a Controller during that part of my flight did not make me to fly to a proper fix, just gave me vectors to approach.

I just checked the link, works as a charm.