Will they let me fly direct at FL110?

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Ben
I am going to fly an IFR X-C to 0B5 from FDK and the most direct route will put me near NYC. And I know that the suggested route will swing me way the heck over to the west. My question is this: if I fly at FL110 will I get more direct?

(Of course then the question is, will there be ice up there?)

Thanks!
 
Ben,

It's highly unlikely flying into the NE corridor that you will get direct. You will almost always get airway routes, at least in my experience. I've tried various combinations, and it seems to be different each time I fly to NYC.

Greg

CFII
 
Anytime soon? They're predicting drizzle for the next 3-5 days, with heavy rain tomorrow (Tuesday).
 
what is FL110? You gonna be flying from Europe?

I thought transition altitude was FL180 in the United States.
 
wangmyers said:
My question is this: if I fly at FL110 will I get more direct?
You will get the route you least desire, and it will be changed several times en route, possibly eventually going back to the one you started with, but only after you've detoured 200 miles.
 
I used to be based up there and would seldom get a direct routing. Although I've often gotten cleared to downstream waypoints while enroute (as long as you're /G). My guess is you'll get airways.

By the way, it's 11,000 feet not fl110. It's only called fl110 if you flying without a local altimeter setting (and using 29.92).

Enjoy.
 
Ben;

You will get a lot of route changes at that altitude. I would use the prefered routes for at least you will most likely get those and it will keep you lower. 7k works out and just keep that Knee pad and pencile ready for all the route changes. A lot of it depends on the time of day and also the day of the week. Just read today that TEB is getting close to 600 flights a day all business jets. Fridays tend to be real busy but early Saturdays there is less airline and business traffic.

Let us know how it works out for you.


John
 
thanks guys. I know that it is 11,000 feet, but, you see, I'm lazy, and I knew you would know what i meant
 
Oh, well. . . .
ggroves said:
Ben,

It's highly unlikely flying into the NE corridor that you will get direct. You will almost always get airway routes, at least in my experience. I've tried various combinations, and it seems to be different each time I fly to NYC.

Greg

CFII
 
MSmith said:
Anytime soon? They're predicting drizzle for the next 3-5 days, with heavy rain tomorrow (Tuesday).
No--it won't be for another week and a half.
 
Ken Ibold said:
You will get the route you least desire, and it will be changed several times en route, possibly eventually going back to the one you started with, but only after you've detoured 200 miles.
LOL. That's what happened when I went to Albany.
 
What can you tell me about that airport?
mike21951 said:
I used to be based up there and would seldom get a direct routing. Although I've often gotten cleared to downstream waypoints while enroute (as long as you're /G). My guess is you'll get airways.

By the way, it's 11,000 feet not fl110. It's only called fl110 if you flying without a local altimeter setting (and using 29.92).

Enjoy.
 
You think maybe I should just pick a different route altogether, then? Maybe I should goto ALB first.

John J said:
Ben;

You will get a lot of route changes at that altitude. I would use the prefered routes for at least you will most likely get those and it will keep you lower. 7k works out and just keep that Knee pad and pencile ready for all the route changes. A lot of it depends on the time of day and also the day of the week. Just read today that TEB is getting close to 600 flights a day all business jets. Fridays tend to be real busy but early Saturdays there is less airline and business traffic.

Let us know how it works out for you.


John
 
wangmyers said:
You think maybe I should just pick a different route altogether, then? Maybe I should goto ALB first.
If you file/fly 17,000 they will let you go direct. Nothing lower. BTDT.
 
Awww. Too bad--no chance of that in an NA C182S.
 
You might try a 0700z or 0800z departure time.
 
bbchien said:
Ah, Tunnah's Fahls MASS.
LOL! You've got my Boston accent down! (I've tried to get rid of it over the years, though.)
 
wangmyers said:
You think maybe I should just pick a different route altogether, then? Maybe I should goto ALB first.

Ben;

Try out this route. From FDK fly airways to the Chester VOR, Thense Direct. When I use to Fly quite a bit from the Boston Area to FDK, BWI and GAI to visit family and work. I used V93from Lancaster to come in the Back Door" to the Boston area. The Chester VOR is SW of 05B. The location is very near Northhampton, MA . You wil not need to fly to ALB. Lot of times as I got close to AVP I would get direct to Kingston and Chester is a short flight from there. Sorry I can remember all the identifiers for the VORs but I am writing from memory. I do believe V93 will take you all the way to Chestor. Please corect me if I am wrong.

I found the route was not busy at all and in the Skylane with a nice tail wind you will do very well in flight time.

I hope you have nice weather for the flight. The Bershires and Connecticut Valley will be in full glory with the colors.


Let Us know how it works out for you.

John
 
Thanks so much!
This looks good!

John J said:
Ben;

Try out this route. From FDK fly airways to the Chester VOR, Thense Direct. When I use to Fly quite a bit from the Boston Area to FDK, BWI and GAI to visit family and work. I used V93from Lancaster to come in the Back Door" to the Boston area. The Chester VOR is SW of 05B. The location is very near Northhampton, MA . You wil not need to fly to ALB. Lot of times as I got close to AVP I would get direct to Kingston and Chester is a short flight from there. Sorry I can remember all the identifiers for the VORs but I am writing from memory. I do believe V93 will take you all the way to Chestor. Please corect me if I am wrong.

I found the route was not busy at all and in the Skylane with a nice tail wind you will do very well in flight time.

I hope you have nice weather for the flight. The Bershires and Connecticut Valley will be in full glory with the colors.


Let Us know how it works out for you.

John
 
I've tried several times to fly a similar route and been directed far west EXCEPT this August when I flew to a small airport just north of Boston from the Philly area. - yes they changed my entire route - but it was changed to direct JFK then over Long Island and up to Boston. I couldn't have asked for a more scenic route inless they had thrown in the Hudson VFR cooridor... next time I'll probably get routed over Buffalo to make up for it.
 
I've flown into turners falls before. pretty sleepy. Little dinky runway. Nice view to the north. taking off to the south, IIRC, has some pretty big hills not too far away, although I bet your 182 climbs a lot faster than my 152, so they probably won't seem that big to you.
Some of the runway lights have been OTS for a while.
If you have time while you're up this way, I would suggest going to North Adams KAQW and checking out the town and the Mass Moca http://www.massmoca.org/
it's a weird museum that's not for everyone, but kinda cool.
 
Wow! Thanks for the info! I have been to Adams, but I haven't been to that museum!
deafsound said:
I've flown into turners falls before. pretty sleepy. Little dinky runway. Nice view to the north. taking off to the south, IIRC, has some pretty big hills not too far away, although I bet your 182 climbs a lot faster than my 152, so they probably won't seem that big to you.
Some of the runway lights have been OTS for a while.
If you have time while you're up this way, I would suggest going to North Adams KAQW and checking out the town and the Mass Moca http://www.massmoca.org/
it's a weird museum that's not for everyone, but kinda cool.
 
You're welcome. Please let me know when you have a gig up in the MA area, and should you ever need a recording engineer for a concert, keep me in mind---especially if I can fly there---you can pay me a buck---I'll write the flight off my taxes :).
DW
 
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wangmyers said:
LOL! You've got my Boston accent down! (I've tried to get rid of it over the years, though.)
Remember, I lived in Bang Gore MAINE fur five yeahs. Ah was from aWAY.

Apologies to Jerry C.
 
Ben, you might get direct at 15k. Your odds improve very, very early in the morning or very, very late at night. The altitude required is at a minimum and the odds of getting the clearance at all are greatest around oh-dark-thirty.

"What, no Sambuca?"
"Ken, it's four thirty in the morning."
"Is that too early or too late?"

Apologies to "Beautiful Girls" for the butchered quotes.
 
bbchien said:
Remember, I lived in Bang Gore MAINE fur five yeahs. Ah was from aWAY.

Apologies to Jerry C.
LOL! I forgot!
 
Wow. I can't go too early. I don't think I can crawl up to 15k, either. Oh well, I might find some ice up there anyway!
Ed Guthrie said:
Ben, you might get direct at 15k. Your odds improve very, very early in the morning or very, very late at night. The altitude required is at a minimum and the odds of getting the clearance at all are greatest around oh-dark-thirty.

"What, no Sambuca?"
"Ken, it's four thirty in the morning."
"Is that too early or too late?"

Apologies to "Beautiful Girls" for the butchered quotes.
 
With this lovely cold and damp weather that Tammy ushered in (messing up my planned trip to VT last weekend BTW) the freezing level has come down a bit. Do be watchful of 11K, as the freezing temps in winds aloft have come down closer to 12K, and lower than the 18K they were averaging not too long ago.

Pireps should start being our friend here in the northeast, if there is freezing. A good rule of thumb in busier airspace like the NE corridor: If there are not pireps, it is much less likely there is ice. Pilots tend to report adverse weather with pireps, more than beneficial weather. So if there is ice, and pilots flying, you are much more likely to hear about it. No pireps obviously doesn't guarantee no ice, but suggests that the pilots didn't see anything to report. Taught to me by an old and experienced DE.

Jim G
 
Thanks--good point. Maybe I'll just stick to the traditioinal 8K and 7K.
 
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