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Ground School

VFR Weather Minima: Controlled, Uncontrolled, Special VFR and Over-the-Top

The visibility and cloud-clearance numbers that decide whether a VFR flight is legal — and the two escape hatches, Special VFR and VFR over-the-top.

3 units · 11 min · 14 questions

  1. 1.VFR Weather Minima in Controlled AirspaceThree miles of visibility, 500 feet below and one mile beside the cloud, plus the extra rules that apply inside a control zone.4 min read
  2. 2.VFR Weather Minima in Uncontrolled AirspaceAbove or below 1,000 feet AGL, day or night: four combinations, four sets of numbers, one logic.3 min read
  3. 3.Special VFR and VFR Over-the-TopThe two legal ways around the basic minima: Special VFR inside a control zone when the weather sags, and VFR over-the-top cruising above a cloud deck.4 min read