Which is the highest altitude you go "in real life"?
From FlightSim
Q:
I know that I can safely fly up to the max operating altitude in these planes, but how high do you really go in real life? For example, I zip around in a Baron C55 at 15,000. Is this normal, or would I be lower? Are there physical problems at this height? How about just a hundred mile jaunt in the Cessna? Would I go all the way up to 10,000, or stick around 5,000?
Mike
A:
Mike, I'll give you a few rules of thumb.
- Multiply the distance you are flying in nautical miles by 100. This will give you the optimum cruise altitude for medium/long trips. Airlines sometimes use this one for a quick hack at their altitude for flight planning.
- Don't climb much over 80% of an aircraft's service ceiling. If you go higher you won't have sufficient reserve performance if you need a quick maneuver.
- For non-turbocharged aircraft I generally don't go higher than 5000-6000 feet. More than that and you risk mild hypoxia (I live at sea level) even though the regs say up to 12,500 feet is OK. This type of hypoxia is more likely to show up at night. It happened to me once flying from Bar Harbor, ME to Lawrence, MA at 7000 feet. For turbo aircraft, go as high as you want assuming you have a pressurized craft or supplemental oxygen. These are some tips from my 'as real as it gets' experience in Cessna and Piper singles.
Also, if you want to fly realistically in VFR, remember not to fly at the 1000's (6000, 7000, 8000). VFR flys at the 500's (6500, 7500, 8500). And if you're flying 0 to 179 degrees you fly even thousands (6500, 8500, etc.), and 180 to 359 degrees, the odd thousands (5500, 7500, etc.) If I'm wrong on those, someone please correct me (it might be the reverse). It's been awhile since I've flown the real stuff.
