What determines MEA values?

What determines MEA values?

• A. Terrain and obstacle clearance
• B. Aircraft performance
• C. ATC sector capacity
• D. Flight duration

Answer: (A)

MEA values are set to ensure you stay high enough to clear terrain and obstacles along the route and to maintain reliable reception of navigational signals. In practice, the lowest published enroute altitude is chosen so that, over the segment, there is safe obstacle clearance and the aircraft can reliably receive the required nav aids. If mountains or tall structures are nearby, the MEA will be higher to guarantee clearance; if nav-aid reception is limited in a portion of the route, the MEA may also be raised to preserve navigation accuracy. Aircraft performance, ATC sector capacity, or flight duration do not determine MEA; they affect other aspects of flight planning but not the published minimum enroute altitude.

MEA values are set to ensure you stay high enough to clear terrain and obstacles along the route and to maintain reliable reception of navigational signals. In practice, the lowest published enroute altitude is chosen so that, over the segment, there is safe obstacle clearance and the aircraft can reliably receive the required nav aids. If mountains or tall structures are nearby, the MEA will be higher to guarantee clearance; if nav-aid reception is limited in a portion of the route, the MEA may also be raised to preserve navigation accuracy. Aircraft performance, ATC sector capacity, or flight duration do not determine MEA; they affect other aspects of flight planning but not the published minimum enroute altitude.