Cruising above a winter warm front undercast at 14,000 and 185 knots. A warm front can be icy but above the tops, there’s little worry of that.

Staff Report

If you’re doing a phone briefing, the Flight Service specialist will raise the niggling questions first: what altitude? For the low-and-slow crowd, it’s usually some easy choice under 10,000 feet. The decision is more involved for pilots of high performance or turbocharged airplanes that can easily climb into the mid-altitudes – above 12,000 feet but below 18,000 feet or FL200, tops.

There are compelling reasons to fly at these altitudes. The weather is often better, the tailwinds are stronger and, for turbocharged airplanes, higher true airspeeds may make it worth climbing that high. On the other hand, additional speed might not be found by clawing your way into the 20s,…