Technically you don't have to go by the whole east/west altitude rule.  If you're being controlled by ATC they will most likely give you an altitude that complies with that suggested rule.  It is definately in your best intrest to abide by them but not manditory.  If you are encountering weather they will usually (unless there is a traffic conflict, obviously) let you go where you want.  Also, sometimes ATC gives a cruise clearance, allowing you to descend at pilots discression within a given chunk of airspace. 

P.S. I haven't looked at a FAR since November, so if I said something Bass Ackwards lemme know.

K guys, good enough fer me.  Thanks PS I believe in the US these are still routinely used.

No kidding? Wow, that was good timing by me.

HEY!!! WAIT A MINUTE!!!

WE'RE AMERICA! THE WORLD IS SUPPOSED TO CONFROM TO OUR STANDARDS! WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?

I'm scared.. next thing you know we'll be eating monkey at McDonalds...

Quote:


The frank answer...

SOME OF YOUR STANDARDS ARE CRAP!!!  

not that ours are any better...

Only joking...

Charlie

And everyone knows the UK has weapons of massdestruction; it's called Haggis

As Nexus stated, the rules that apply for 2,000' separation above FL 290, will be history in five more days. Just for nostalgia sake though......under the current system.....about %99 of the traffic adheres to the rules of direction vs altitude. Exceptions will be: traffic traveling on North/South headings, airways that transition from Easterly to Westerly headings or vice versa (the airways between New York metro and South Florida are a prime example, with the bend at Jacksonville), when an aircraft makes a request for it or when ATC assigns it. A common circumstance is when an aircraft requests to climb 2,000 feet for weather avoidance, to avoid turbulence or to decrease fuel burn. The request will be made for "wrong direction" flight level. ie:"United's 556 reguests wrong direction flight level four one zero". The more commonly heard syntax is..."any chance, wrong direction four one zero, United's 556" and this more common version of appeal has to do with the fact that it is other than standard and also because it's usually needed to get out of one of the previously mentioned predicaments.
As far as a "cruise clearance", I've never heard of one being assigned in Class "A" or PCA airspace. A "block" altitude is pretty common though and will encompass 2,000 feet from sea level to FL290 and 4,000 feet between 290 and 600.
I've done some flying in Europe and flown across the Atlantic many times and can say that the directional rule is used. At present the rule that applies in the US in class "A"(PCA) airspace is as follows; 360-179 degrees will be flown at odd altitudes and 180-359 degrees at even altitudes. Starting at FL 290, 2,000 foot intervals are used, so that 360-179 degrees, becomes flight levels 290,330,370,410,450.....and flight levels 310,350,390,430.....are used when flying 180-359degrees. When RVSM becomes a reality, the rules that apply from flight levels 180-290 will then apply for altitudes up to FL600. So, the same situation may occur, with the difference now being only 1,000 feet I think that "wrong direction" will become a memory.

I was wondering when someone was going to metition the RVSM mandate. But no one has yet to metition the TAWS(Terrian Avodance warning system) mandate. Cause the number one Fatility rate in the US is controlled flight into terrian. But back to the RVSM.

It is goign to get real busy below 29,000. I was reading an article about RVSM converted percents, from what I can remember

Gulfstreams II,III IV, are 99% converted
Cititation X  99% converted
Hawkers 800, 1000    85% converted

what surprised me the most

King Air 90,200,B200,300,350 15%
Citation 5     25%
Beech jet      1%
Dimaond       1%
Mitubishih     1%

the rest I cant remember but you can see it is going to be very busy down there. Also they stated once the RVSM and TAWS mandate take affect, Aircraft not equipped with either one will be go down in price, resale aircraft that is. We will just have to wait to see what happens.