FL290

Thesweet

New Member
I've lurked around here for awhile but had a question that I couldn't find a specific question too. As it pertains to RVSM airspace... I have found definitions that say it is "above FL290"...however, if you are flying at FL290 exactly is this considered RSVM?

If it is, the the top two non-RVSM altitudes are Westbound 280 and Eastbound 270?
 
This goes back to the days before RVSM. Back then, everything between FL180 to FL290 was separated by 1,000 ft., and above FL290 began 2,000ft. So, the strata for direction of flight back then was:
  • East: FL270
  • West: FL280
  • East: FL290
  • West: FL310
  • East: FL330
  • West: FL350, etc.

Now RVSM includes FL290 so as to provide the required 1,000 ft. from traffic at FL300. So, the short answer is RVSM incorporates all altitudes from FL290 to FL410.

Hope that explains it.
 
How likely (?) are facilities to grant non-RVSM aircraft access to the RVSM airspace? Hypothetically. I am a dumb airline pilot and therefore have people to do this for me, but I am curious as to how it works. Or fails to.
 
How likely (?) are facilities to grant non-RVSM aircraft access to the RVSM airspace? Hypothetically. I am a dumb airline pilot and therefore have people to do this for me, but I am curious as to how it works. Or fails to.

There’s a small list of exceptions to RVSM airspace that we can grant access too, otherwise at least at my facility we generally will only allow you to transit as a nonRVSM to get up to 430, and even then it’s traffic permitting.

For us in the center, if you have a non RVSM suffix, you get a coral box in the data block around your altitude that really sticks out too which basically screams at you “YOU NEED 2000 FEET FOR THIS GUY”

Off the top of my head the RVSM exceptions are for DOD, NASA, Foreign state aircraft, and Maintenance test flights, but I may have missed one.
 
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There’s a small list of exceptions to RVSM airspace that we can grant access too, otherwise at least at my facility we generally will only allow you to transit as a nonRVSM to get up to 430, and even then it’s traffic permitting.

For us in the center, if you have a non RVSM suffix, you get a coral box in the data block around your altitude that really sticks out too which basically screams at you “YOU NEED 2000 FEET FOR THIS GUY”

Off the top of my head the RVSM exceptions are for DOD, NASA, Foreign state aircraft, and Maintenance test flights, but I may have missed one.

Medevac.
 
There’s a small list of exceptions to RVSM airspace that we can grant access too, otherwise at least at my facility we generally will only allow you to transit as a nonRVSM to get up to 430, and even then it’s traffic permitting.

For us in the center, if you have a non RVSM suffix, you get a coral box in the data block around your altitude that really sticks out too which basically screams at you “YOU NEED 2000 FEET FOR THIS GUY”

Off the top of my head the RVSM exceptions are for DOD, NASA, Foreign state aircraft, and Maintenance test flights, but I may have missed one.
Unless we were on an airway(the only time there's generally other traffic) ZAN would almost always give it to us if we asked.
 
How likely (?) are facilities to grant non-RVSM aircraft access to the RVSM airspace? Hypothetically. I am a dumb airline pilot and therefore have people to do this for me, but I am curious as to how it works. Or fails to.
We did before we got the G1000 and RVSM equipment installed. Worked most of the time up and down the west coast.
 
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