Definition
The section of the Code of Federal Regulations that establishes IFR altitudes, including Minimum En Route Altitudes (MEAs), for the Federal airway system and other designated routes. It is the regulatory source that defines the minimum altitudes pilots must fly when operating under instrument flight rules along published routes.
Plain English
A specific part of the federal aviation rulebook that lists the lowest altitudes you are allowed to fly along instrument flight routes.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA references, instrument flight planning, and discussions of legally published route altitudes.
Derivation
CFR stands for Code of Federal Regulations, the official compilation of U.S. federal rules. Title 14 covers aeronautics and space. 'Part 95' is simply the numbered chapter within that title that deals with IFR altitudes.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots rely on these altitudes to maintain required terrain and obstacle clearance during IFR operations on airways.
Intuition Check
Do not read “part 95” as just a page number or a suggestion. In this context, it points to a specific federal regulation issued by the FAA.
Example Sentence 1
The MEA shown on the en route chart comes from 14 CFR part 95, which sets the minimum IFR altitudes for that segment.
Example Sentence 2
ATC cleared the flight at an altitude that complied with 14 CFR part 95 requirements for the route.