"John Harlow" wrote in message
...
I'd like to get input on opinions on the "best" VFR altitude for a route.

It depends on a variety of factors.

As has been pointed out, you get the most power with the least drag at
around 7000' MSL or so. So for a normally aspirated engine, that's a nice
target.

But for short flights, it may be a waste of time to climb that high. For
flights starting at high altitude, you may find 7000' is too low to keep you
out of local traffic and away from terrain. If there are strong winds going
in your direction, you may want to fly higher. If there are strong winds
going opposite your direction, you may want to fly lower. If it's a hot,
sunny day you may find it's bumpy down low and will want a higher cruise
altitude. If it's a windy, turbulent day, you may find the air smoother at
the middle altitudes.

You get the idea. Each flight is different. Rules of thumb are nice, but
you need to be considering all the factors anew each flight.

I have a turbocharged aircraft, so generally speaking, higher is better.
However, I still have to deal with headwinds and turbulence. But the winds
aloft forecast isn't reliable enough to use it to pick a cruising altitude.
So typically what I do is choose a cruising altitude independent of the
winds aloft forecast. Then I just see how things are in flight. I gain
about a knot in true airpspeed for every 1000' I climb, so that gives me a
guideline for how much the winds need to change for it to be worth picking a
new cruising altitude. Of course, if the ride is bumpy, I generally opt for
a slower but smoother flight.

For this sort of "wait and see" approach, it certainly helps to have good
climb rates at pretty much any altitude (I'm still getting 500-600 fpm at
16,000' or so, and much better lower...when I'm flying at 10,000' +/- a few
thousand, it only takes a few minutes to change altitude to a new,
significantly different altitude). It would be less practical with a
normally aspirated engine.

Pete