Beyond CAVU

Compared to instrument flight rules, flying under visual flight rules is much simpler. A flight plan is not required, and you do not have to maintain constant contact with ATC. VFR is all about looking outside the aircraft, which is really what drew most of us to flying in the first place. And you are free to go where and when you want, with limited exceptions.

Unfortunately, some new or even seasoned pilots don’t take full advantage of the privileges of flying under VFR. Maximizing visual flight rules and using them to keep current, safe, and proficient can create a new comfort zone for business or personal flight missions. As with any skill, knowledge is the key. Learning the intricacies and benefits of VFR will allow you to eliminate uncertainty, expand flight capabilities, and explore new destinations.

Basic VFR requirements

First, let’s review the rules and regulations associated with VFR flight. When flying VFR, you need to remain in visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Cloud clearance and visibility minimums vary according to the airspace you are flying in (see table). VFR flight is prohibited in Class A airspace (18,000 feet to FL 600).

A “ceiling” is defined as the heights of clouds above the Earth’s surface, reported as overcast or broken and not few or scattered. So, if an airport is reporting clouds to be broken or overcast, that defines a ceiling for VFR flight. Takeoffs are not allowed from an airport with controlled airspace to the surface when the ceiling is lower than 1,000 feet. This includes Class B, C, D, and Class E airports.

Marginal VFR (MVFR) is used to describe conditions of ceilings 1,000 to 3,000 ft, or a visibility of three to five statute miles. If you are planning a VFR flight and you see MVFR reports or forecasts along your route, you might want to reconsider. Marginal VFR can rapidly turn into IFR.

Communications and equipment requirements also vary by airspace. Two-way radio communication is required when operating in Class B, C, and D airspace. ADS-B Out is required in most controlled airspace.

En route altitudes

VFR cruising altitudes start at 3,000 feet above ground level.

• On a magnetic course of zero degrees through 179 degrees, fly any odd thousand-foot altitude plus 500 feet (i.e., 3,500, 5,500, 7,500 feet msl.)

• On a magnetic course of 180 degrees through 359 degrees, fly any even thousand-foot altitude plus 500 feet (i.e., 4,500, 6,500, 8,500 feet msl.)

Minimum operation altitudes

Except when necessary for takeoff and landing, no person may operate under VFR:

• Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open-air assembly of persons, at an altitude less than 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.

• Over a nonpopulated area at an altitude less than 500 feet above the surface except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In that case, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.

• During night hours at an altitude less than 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal distance of five miles from the course intended to be flown or, in designated mountainous terrain, less than 2,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal distance of five miles from the course intended to be flown.

Recent flight experience

Here is a simple synopsis of the requirements in the federal aviation regulations for carrying passengers.

• To legally carry passengers during daylight hours, a pilot must make at least three takeoffs and landings as sole manipulator of the flight controls in the same type of aircraft within the preceding 90 days. If performed in a tailwheel aircraft, the landings must be made to a full stop.

• To be legal during night hours, the same requirements must be performed during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise. No matter what type of aircraft, the landings must be to a full stop.

Let’s get on with it

Now that we have reviewed the basics, let’s explore some great services available for VFR pilots.

Flight following: When I am flying on a trip over desolate terrain or to a destination with an area of high traffic, I request a service called flight following. Available to all pilots, ATC workload permitting, flight following closely parallels IFR radar services. Also known as VFR traffic advisories, flight following provides traffic and some weather information but does not ensure traffic separation. The procedure for obtaining flight following is simple. Call ATC and state your n-number; type of aircraft; altitude; location from airport, VOR, or other navaid; and then request the service to your destination and cruising altitude. The reply will advise radar contact at your location referenced to direction and distance from an airport, VOR, or other navaid; the squawk code; and altimeter setting. At this point, read back the instructions word for word. The controller will state that the readback is correct or will advise of any discrepancies. From there on, it is pretty much “follow the yellow brick road.” You will get handed off from facility to facility and to your final destination. This may sound a bit complicated, but with some practice you will become comfortable using flight following.

Special VFR: Let’s say you are happily flying along on a cross-country trip and your planned destination or fuel stop just declared the Class E airport was under IFR conditions. Not severe IFR, but just enough to prevent VFR traffic from landing—2 miles visibility and a 900-foot ceiling. At airports with ceilings and visibility below basic VFR conditions, you can request a special VFR (SVFR) clearance from ATC. This clearance is never offered to the pilot. You must request it.

SVFR is available below 10,000 ft msl and within lateral boundaries of controlled airspace that goes to the surface. Pilots must maintain one statute mile flight visibility and remain clear of clouds. At a towered field, the controller may need to coordinate with an approach or center facility. Special VFR is allowed at Class D, C, and even some B airports. However, many Class C and B airports do not allow SVFR to better provide IFR traffic separation.

If at a Class E airport surface area, the request can be made to a flight service station (FSS) or center facility. FSS frequencies are marked on VFR charts. Ask them for a special VFR clearance. They will call ATC, get a clearance, and relay it back to you. When a SVFR clearance is issued, you must read it back, word for word, to the appropriate issuing facility.

SVFR can also be requested for takeoffs if the ground visibility is one statute mile, and the pilot can remain clear of clouds.

Practice makes perfect

If you’re an instrument-rated pilot that primarily flies VFR, here are some suggestions to help maintain proficiency.

• Using a safety pilot, wear a hood or vision limiting glasses and practice flying on instruments. Practice straight and level flight, turns, climbs, descents, altitude control, and rolling out on magnetic headings. If you have a GPS with IFR features, fly practice arrivals and approaches.

• Brush up on radio procedures by flying into more towered fields or using flight following.

• Review sectional or GPS maps. You will be surprised at what you might overlook.

Personal minimums

Beyond the basic VFR weather minimums, pilots should set their own personal minimums based on their experience, knowledge, skill, and proficiency. My own minimums for ceilings and visibility are lower for flights in the traffic pattern than cross-country flights and vary depending on forecasts and terrain. If ceilings at my home base and destination are VFR, I usually fly above the clouds. The air is smoother, the temperatures are cooler, and the visibility is great.

After many years and a lot of IFR hours, my new passion for maximizing VFR flying is fun and rewarding. I hope these reviews and suggestions will help you to enjoy many great adventures in the days to come. For more information, consult (and study) the FARs. Stay current, stay safe, and stay out of the clouds.

Don Abbott is a 6,500-hour instrument-rated single- and multiengine commercial pilot living in southwest Florida. General aviation has played a vital role in his career as a television producer and public speaker.