In article ,
"G.R. Patterson III" wrote:

John Harlow wrote:

I'd like to get input on opinions on the "best" VFR altitude for a route.

It seems to me it's largely based on distance, winds aloft and comfort
level. Do you have a "rule of thumb" trading off altitude (and therefore
safety margin) to avoid headwinds? Or, if winds aloft are to your
advantage, how high would someone go in a 172 class aircraft before returns
diminish?

A lot depends on whether I'm alone or not. It's also the case that the
various
airspace restrictions around here do a lot more to determine my enroute
altitude
than anything else until I get south of the DC mess.

If I'm alone and have strong headwinds, I'll stay down as low as 600' AGL to
make
time. If my wife is in the plane, I will go as high as is necessary to

600 feet AGL for cruise? Not a lot of think/plan time if your engine
fails!