"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
ups.com...

That's actually not true. It is legal to fly any altitude you are
assigned. The controller's minimum altitude in that area may be lower
than your MEA.

That's correct. The controllers MVA/MIA may be lower than the MEA. If
that is the case then an altitude below the MEA can be assigned if
you're trying to get into VMC for example. And approach control does
not always have lower MVA's than Center has MIA's. When we work with
Salt Lake their radar antenna for our area is on the top of a mountain
in the Bighorn Mountains about 60 miles south of us here in Billings.
Their MIA is much lower than my MVA from about 30 miles south of me out
to the end of my coverage. Often times an aircraft will want lower than
I can give so I just work it out with the center and have ZLC work him
so he can stay low. Another example is the route between BIL and Cody,
WY. There is an airway with an 8400 MEA between our two VOR's. However
the centers MIA is down around 7000, mine however is 9300 on the
southern end. ZLC will often send guys this way at 7000 between the two
mountain ranges on the airway. We just coordinate and I don't work them
until about 25 miles out where my MVA allows it.