FAA Sport Pilot Airplane (SPA)Airspace and NavigationMedium
A pilot examining a sectional chart quadrangle sees the number '84' printed in large bold digits. This is the Maximum Elevation Figure (MEF) for that quadrangle. What does this figure represent and guarantee?
- A8,400 feet MSL, guaranteeing at least 100 feet of clearance above the highest known terrain or obstacle in that quadrangle
- B840 feet MSL, indicating the height of the tallest radio tower within the quadrangle
- C84 feet AGL, the height of the tallest man-made obstruction charted in the quadrangle
- D8,400 feet AGL, representing the minimum safe cruising altitude required in that quadrangle
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. 8,400 feet MSL, guaranteeing at least 100 feet of clearance above the highest known terrain or obstacle in that quadrangle
MEFs are shown in thousands and hundreds of feet (large digit = thousands, small digit = hundreds), representing the height MSL of the highest terrain or obstacle in that quadrangle rounded up to provide at least 100 feet of clearance. A figure of '84' means 8,400 feet MSL.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. MEF represents the highest feature in the quadrangle, not specifically a tower, and the value is off by a factor of 10.
- C. MEFs are expressed in thousands/hundreds of feet MSL, not tens of feet AGL.
- D. MEF is not a required cruising altitude, only a maximum elevation reference, and it is MSL, not AGL.
Maximum Elevation Figure (MEF)
The highest charted elevation, including terrain and obstacles, within a quadrangle of latitude/longitude on a sectional chart, rounded up to guarantee at least 100 feet of clearance.
- Large number = thousands of feet, small number = hundreds
- Value is MSL, not AGL
- Provides minimum 100 ft (up to 328 ft in mountainous quadrangles) of vertical clearance
Memory trick: Big number thousands, little number hundreds — MEF keeps you above the peaks.