VFR Cruising Altitudes in Canada: The Simple Explanation (With Real-World Examples)

The Rule in One Sentence

When you are flying VFR in level cruising flight at more than 3,000 feet above ground level (AGL), you must use a cruising altitude (or flight level) that is appropriate to your track, unless ATC assigns you a different one.¹

Before Anything Else: Track (Not Heading) and Where You Are in Canada

Track vs heading (this is where students get trapped)

The regulation is based on track, not heading. Your heading is where the nose points; your track is your actual direction over the ground after wind correction. If you use heading, you can choose the wrong altitude on a windy day.

Southern vs Northern Domestic Airspace

CARs 602.34 also specifies which “track” to use depending on where you are:

• Southern Domestic Airspace (SDA): use magnetic track.
• Northern Domestic Airspace (NDA): use true track.

This detail matters in Canada and is explicitly stated in the regulation.¹

Odd/Even + 500: The Practical Pattern

The purpose is simple: it reduces the chance of opposite-direction traffic meeting at the same altitude when operating VFR en route.
You and other pilots “self-separate” vertically by choosing predictable altitude blocks.

For VFR (at 18,000 feet and below), the CARs table produces a clean rule of thumb:

• Track 000° to 179°: fly odd thousands + 500 (e.g., 3,500; 5,500; 7,500…).
• Track 180° to 359°: fly even thousands + 500 (e.g., 4,500; 6,500; 8,500…).

Those values come directly from CARs 602.34’s cruising altitude table for VFR operations (18,000 feet and below).¹

Quick reference table (VFR, 18,000 feet and below)

Note the trigger is more than 3,000 feet AGL (i.e., once you are above 3,000 AGL in level cruise).¹

When the Rule Applies (and When It Doesn’t)

Applies when all of the following are true

• You are flying VFR.
• You are in level cruising flight (not climbing or descending).
• You are at more than 3,000 feet AGL.
• You have not been assigned a different altitude or flight level by ATC.

CARs 602.34 states the requirement and explicitly includes the ATC-assigned-altitude exception.¹
TC AIM reinforces the operational expectation: aircraft operating VFR shall use appropriate altitudes/flight levels in level cruising flight above 3,000 feet AGL.²

Does not apply (or is not the controlling factor) in these common situations

• Below 3,000 feet AGL: the cruising-altitude requirement in CARs 602.34(2)(a) is not triggered.¹
• Not in level cruise: during climb or descent you are not “in level cruising flight.”
• ATC assigns an altitude: if you are assigned another altitude/flight level by ATC, you comply with the clearance/instruction.¹
• Special operations exceptions: CARs includes specific exceptions (for example, aerial survey/mapping with conditions).¹

Common Student Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Mistake 1: Using heading instead of track

If wind is pushing you, your heading might be 010° while your track is 350°. The rule uses track; using heading can put you in the wrong altitude band.
In practice: use the track from your navigation plan, GPS ground track, or chart-derived track corrected for wind.

Mistake 2: Forgetting SDA vs NDA (magnetic vs true)

In the SDA you use magnetic track. In the NDA you use true track. That is a Canada-specific detail and is written directly in CARs 602.34(1).¹

Mistake 3: Treating the rule like a constant “altitude chase”

Minor variations in track are normal. The goal is to be predictable and to reduce conflict risk, not to hunt altitudes every time a wind gust shifts ground track by a few degrees.
Use good judgement and prioritize safety, terrain clearance, airspace requirements, and ATC instructions.

Mistake 4: Mixing U.S. and Canadian trigger conditions

The “odd/even + 500” pattern exists in both countries, but the legal trigger and wording can differ.
In Canada, CARs 602.34 governs VFR cruising altitudes and explicitly ties the rule to track and the domestic airspace region (SDA vs NDA).¹
If you are cross-border flying, make sure you apply the correct country’s rule at the correct time.³

How Examiners Expect You to Answer (PSTAR, Written, Flight Test Oral)

What they want to see

• You know the trigger: level cruising flight and more than 3,000 feet AGL (VFR).
• You use track (and you know magnetic vs true depending on SDA/NDA).
• You can select a compliant altitude from the CARs table quickly.
• You understand the “unless assigned otherwise by ATC” exception.

Example questions (Canada)

Example 1: You are cruising VFR above 3,000 feet AGL on a magnetic track of 115°. What altitude fits the cruising altitude table?

Track 115° is in the 000°–179° band, so a compliant VFR altitude is 5,500 feet (odd thousands + 500).¹

Example 2: You are VFR at 2,500 feet AGL. Do you need to follow the cruising altitude order?

Not under CARs 602.34(2)(a), because the rule applies at more than 3,000 feet AGL when in level cruising flight.¹

Real-World Flying Examples

Example A: Training area work (typically below 3,000 AGL)

Most airwork and practice-area manoeuvres happen below the cruising-altitude trigger. Your focus is terrain/obstacle clearance, airspace, lookout, and being predictable in a known training environment. The cruising altitude rule is usually not the limiting factor here.

Example B: Cross-country leg in Southern Domestic Airspace (SDA)

You plan an en route segment that will be in level cruise above 3,000 feet AGL. You determine your magnetic track for that leg.
If the magnetic track is roughly 070°, choose an “odd + 500” altitude such as 5,500 or 7,500 (subject to terrain, airspace, and performance).
This is exactly the application CARs 602.34 is designed for.¹

Example C: Winds aloft and a drifting ground track

Your planned track is 178°, but winds move your live GPS ground track between 175° and 185°. Don’t overthink it.
Pick the altitude that fits the overall direction of flight, stay predictable, and manage risk through good lookout and communication.
If ATC assigns an altitude, that becomes controlling.¹

Bottom Line

• Above 3,000 feet AGL in level cruising flight (VFR), you must use a cruising altitude appropriate to your track.¹
• In the SDA use magnetic track; in the NDA use true track.¹
• For VFR (18,000 feet and below), it works out to the familiar pattern: odd + 500 for 000°–179°, even + 500 for 180°–359°.¹
• If ATC assigns another altitude/flight level, comply with that clearance or instruction.¹

References

1. Government of Canada, Department of Justice — Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433), CARs 602.34 “Cruising Altitudes and Cruising Flight Levels”
   (includes SDA/NDA track basis, VFR trigger “more than 3,000 feet AGL,” ATC exception, and the cruising altitude table).
   https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/sor-96-433/section-602.34-20190614.html
   https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/sor-96-433/page-57.html
2. Transport Canada — Transport Canada Aeronautical Information Manual (TC AIM), RAC 5.3 “Altitudes and Flight Levels — VFR”
   (states aircraft shall be operated at appropriate altitudes/flight levels in level cruising flight above 3,000 feet AGL).
   https://tc.canada.ca/sites/default/files/2023-10/aim-2023-2_rac-e.pdf
3. United States eCFR — 14 CFR § 91.159 “VFR cruising altitude or flight level”
   (used only for brief cross-border comparison context).
   https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-91/subpart-B/subject-group-ECFR4d5279ba676bedc/section-91.159