Real Plan should take into account the hemispherical cruise altitude rule

MGiacomet

Member
Joined
May 13, 2025
Messages
14
Reaction score
2
Real Plan should take into account the hemispherical cruise altitude rule: Magnetic courses 0-179, odd thousands; 180-359, even thousands.Untitled.png
 
Maybe, but isn't it just simpler to let you, as the PIC, "pick" your own altitude? And with the recent enhancements, you can input a different altitude for each segment!
Also, don't forget: that rule only applies above 3000 ft AGL -- so different in the flatlands than it is in the mountains! :) Safe flying! B
 
Well, it would be simpler for the programmers, but that's not the point. Real Plan is supposed to plan it all for you/us. Sure, we're supposed to make sure everything is correct, but I agree. If you're going to build something like this it should have all the bells and whistles possible. If I were the designer/programmer, I'd like to think I'd regard this as a bug/omission in my code/product.

I'd say that IF we ever get real time weather displayed via ADSB, and you're on a Real Plan, I'd like to see it suggest deviations around storms, icing, turbulence, etc. But I suppose we've got a long wait for such things.
 
Maybe, but isn't it just simpler to let you, as the PIC, "pick" your own altitude? And with the recent enhancements, you can input a different altitude for each segment!
Also, don't forget: that rule only applies above 3000 ft AGL -- so different in the flatlands than it is in the mountains! :) Safe flying! B
>>...isn't it just simpler to let you, as the PIC, "pick" your own altitude?...
Not really:
-On the vertical profile view, where you have wind information there is no course information
-On the tabular view, where you have course information there is no wind information

Plan any non-trivial, $100 hamburger flight, where Real Plan meanders around the limits of the hemispherical rule (like the pic on my original post) and you'll see the need. Computers are supposed to work for humans, not the other way around. As MDreger indicated, and I add my 2c here, either you implement the feature fully or you don't.

But you have a point: below 3000AGL, any direction "flies"; but above it, the hemispherical rule should be followed.
 
Back
Top