WAFDOF - Wrong Altitude for Direction of Flight

Landis

Landis

Well-Known Member
A while back I took off IFR in Oregon for a filed altitude of 11,000 on an airway with an initial 171° course. Upon being handed off to center I was told that 11,000 was the wrong altitude for direction of flight and would I prefer 10,000 or 12,000. I thought I made some kind of elementary mistake and told the controller that I'd prefer 10.

After stopping the climb at 10, I looked back over my chart and realized that I was indeed on a magnetic course between 0 and 179 and queried the controller. The response was something to the effect that in this part of Oregon direction of flight rules are 020-199 are odd altitudes.

I filed this away as an interesting bit of information that I should have learned somewhere and decided to look it up later. It's now later and I can't find any reference to this anywhere. What did I miss?

In case it makes any difference it was V25 south out of KRDM.
 
Its definately not out of the realm of possibility. I have seen stuff like this before. Since ATC is "controlling you" under IFR, i honestly wouldnt let these things bother me too much. As far as I'm concerned I may query ATC if it sounds out of the norm, but if they tell me its what they want, its pretty much what they get. We have way too much to focus on to worry about small things like this. Think of it this way you got to do something out of the norm...:rawk:
 
Absolutely. I'm not worried about it at all. I'm in controlled airspace and at an altitude authorized (and specified) by ATC. I'm just really curious about being told that I had filed the wrong altitude for direction of flight and then learning that this facility, in this area, had a different definition than I was led to believe by 91.179. Is this a standard practice in other areas too? Where would I find this information?
 
91.179 only specifies that in controlled airspace your altitude will be as assigned by ATC. The odd/even altitudes are applicable only for uncontrolled airspace. While ATC tends to run traffic the same way, in areas where most of the traffic is easier to separate as N/S bound instead off W/E, they may choose a different way of assigning altitudes. West WA - west OR is a good example - they run southbounds on even and northbounds on odd altitudes.
 
A lot has to do with established procedures and LOAs between facilities. For infinite reasons as stated above certain airways will be northbound (NW/NE/ENE/WNW) odd and vice versa for southbound. Don't try and make sense of it, we still haven't figured it out.
 
boondr said:
A lot has to do with established procedures and LOAs between facilities. For infinite reasons as stated above certain airways will be northbound (NW/NE/ENE/WNW) odd and vice versa for southbound. Don't try and make sense of it, we still haven't figured it out.
Click to expand...
So long as I don't hit anything or anyone, I'm happy and generally don't question.
 
I am sure the controller didn't mean it in a demeaning way. We have a lot of LOAs that we must abide by and if it is southbound at even and north at odd, we go by that regardless of whether you are heading 184 or 174 degrees. We might say you're at the wrong altitude for direction of flight, but we really mean that you are at the wrong altitude to comply with our LOAs. I've had pilots tell me before that, "...my heading is 175 so I should be at an odd altitude..." when I solicted whether they wanted 6,000 or 8,000 feet. I kindly respond,"All northbound aircraft will be at odd altitudes, would you like 6,000, 8,000 feet, or would you like to cancel your IFR?"
 
just like everyone else, it's happened to me too. I find it generally happens on N-Southish courses. As stated it's usually flow control and LOAs.
 
I appreciate all the replies. I was just curious as I hadn't encountered that before. And now I know!
 
controllers are stupid.... I KEED I KEED! Seriously though, for the most part you guys, especially in NY where I am flying with you all the time, ROCK
 
There are a couple routes around here that are generally north/south and the one that is technically NE gives a non-RVSM top at FL280 and the return to the SW is FL270. Doesn't meet the east is odd rule, but it is what it is, and I don't feel the need to argue with LA Center about it :)
 
As a matter of possible interest, under the new, kinder, gentler FAA, it is now IAFDOF -- inappropriate altitude for direction of flight.
 
boondr said:
A lot has to do with established procedures and LOAs between facilities. For infinite reasons as stated above certain airways will be northbound (NW/NE/ENE/WNW) odd and vice versa for southbound. Don't try and make sense of it, we still haven't figured it out.
Click to expand...

We have a few Jet routes and victor airways where the typical IAFDOF rules are ignored because they generally run north/south but make some turns over certain fixes, just to keep aircraft from having to constantly change altitude.
 
For example.

We use FL 350/390 for westbound flight during the day

FL360/340 for eastbound flight At night
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top