Why is FL180 the fixed TL in the US?

[GogglesPisano]

Because we in America invented aviation and we can make the rules!!!

Exhibit A: "The ugly (and , oh BTW ignorant) American."

 

[J Dawg]

Ecuador is a bit unusual in that transition altitude/level is at 20,000'/FL200 (IIRC) at Quito (UIO), but 3,000'/FL030 at Guayaquil (GYE)

 

[2000Easyguy]

Terrain clearance at the low atmospheric pressure is the correct answer for countries to determine transition levels within their air spaces. In Japan for example, it is 14,000/ FL140 due to clearance with Mt. Fuji. In the eastern Caribbean in Guadeloupe's air space it is 8,000/FL080 if I remember correctly




Perhaps the world doesn't really revolve around SWA after all



Perhaps because other countries came to the conclusion that a measuring system based on the dimension of the limbs of a dead monarch was a silly Idea, I tend to agree.

QFE is still used in some areas, Dalian China is an example

Agree with you 100%. I remember being in grade school, (Nixon years) they were pushing the metric system. They said we'd be there in a few years.:erm:

 

[Helos2Galaxy]

I am on my way to Spain in a few hours. The TL is 5000'. There are mountains well above that in Spain (look at the terrain north of Malaga)

 

[3ds]

Funny you say that. That is exactly what happened to me. I should have stopped believing in that god stuff back about when I stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. Now I sleep in on Sunday mornings!

oops, thread drift......carry on

how about an 11:00 service?

 

[SFR]

Exhibit A: "The ugly (and , oh BTW ignorant) American."

Yeah, but we win the wars. You must be European. BTW, your food sucks...

 

[SFR]

Any most of you have bad teeth....

 

[SpauldingSmails]

Yeah, its unusual in the US system in having a fixed trans. level and trans. altitude as well in that we have "lowest usable flight levels" when pressure is below 2992.

Other places around the world there's sufficient a sufficient stagger between trans. level and altitude to mitigate the issue.

 

[FlyChicaga]

What about Mexico, where transition altitude is 18,500 feet, while transition level is FL195? Why the discrepancy?

 

[glasspilot1]

>> Other places around the world there's sufficient a sufficient stagger between trans. level and altitude to mitigate the issue. <<

Most of the rest of the world does not have the traffic volume we do. They can get away with a few wasted altitudes where we need every flight level we can get.