14 C.F.R. § 91.155

Basic VFR weather minimums

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(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section and § 91.157, no person may operate an aircraft under VFR when the flight visibility is less, or at a distance from clouds that is less, than that prescribed for the corresponding altitude and class of airspace in the following table:

Airspace	Flight visibility	Distance from clouds
Class A	Not Applicable	Not Applicable.
Class B	3 statute miles	Clear of Clouds.
Class C	3 statute miles	500 feet below.
		1,000 feet above.
		2,000 feet horizontal.
Class D	3 statute miles	500 feet below.
		1,000 feet above.
		2,000 feet horizontal.
Class E:
Less than 10,000 feet MSL	3 statute miles	500 feet below.
		1,000 feet above.
		2,000 feet horizontal.
At or above 10,000 feet MSL	5 statute miles	1,000 feet below.
		1,000 feet above.
		1 statute mile horizontal.
Class G:
1,200 feet or less above the surface (regardless of MSL altitude)
For aircraft other than helicopters:
Day, except as provided in § 91.155(b)	1 statute mile	Clear of clouds.
Night, except as provided in § 91.155(b)	3 statute miles	500 feet below.
		1,000 feet above.
		2,000 feet horizontal.
For helicopters:
Day	¹⁄₂ statute mile	Clear of clouds
Night, except as provided in § 91.155(b)	1 statute mile	Clear of clouds.
More than 1,200 feet above the surface but less than 10,000 feet MSL
Day	1 statute mile	500 feet below.
		1,000 feet above.
		2,000 feet horizontal.
Night	3 statute miles	500 feet below.
		1,000 feet above.
		2,000 feet horizontal.
More than 1,200 feet above the surface and at or above 10,000 feet MSL	5 statute miles	1,000 feet below.
		1,000 feet above.
		1 statute mile horizontal.

(b) Class G Airspace. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, the following operations may be conducted in Class G airspace below 1,200 feet above the surface:

(1) Helicopter. A helicopter may be operated clear of clouds in an airport traffic pattern within 1/2 mile of the runway or helipad of intended landing if the flight visibility is not less than 1/2 statute mile.

(2) Airplane, powered parachute, or weight-shift-control aircraft. If the visibility is less than 3 statute miles but not less than 1 statute mile during night hours and you are operating in an airport traffic pattern within 1/2 mile of the runway, you may operate an airplane, powered parachute, or weight-shift-control aircraft clear of clouds.

(c) Except as provided in § 91.157, no person may operate an aircraft beneath the ceiling under VFR within the lateral boundaries of controlled airspace designated to the surface for an airport when the ceiling is less than 1,000 feet.

(d) Except as provided in § 91.157 of this part, no person may take off or land an aircraft, or enter the traffic pattern of an airport, under VFR, within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace designated for an airport—

(1) Unless ground visibility at that airport is at least 3 statute miles; or

(2) If ground visibility is not reported at that airport, unless flight visibility during landing or takeoff, or while operating in the traffic pattern is at least 3 statute miles.

(e) For the purpose of this section, an aircraft operating at the base altitude of a Class E airspace area is considered to be within the airspace directly below that area.

[Docket 24458, 56 FR 65660, Dec. 17, 1991, as amended by Amdt. 91-235, 58 FR 51968, Oct. 5, 1993; Amdt. 91-282, 69 FR 44880, July 27, 2004; Amdt. 91-330, 79 FR 9972, Feb. 21, 2014; Amdt. 91-330A, 79 FR 41125, July 15, 2014]

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 14 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1994–2022 · leading case: Wojciechowicz v. United States

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Wojciechowicz v. United States (2008) prd · cites it 7× “TO MAINTAIN APPROPRIATE TERRAIN AND OBSTRUCTIONS CLEARANCE,” and “TO REMAIN IN WEATHER CONDITIONS EQUAL TO OR BETTER THAN THE MINIMUMS REQUIRED BY 14 CFR SECTION 91.155.” 68 Pilots understand that this section means that they may not abrogate their duty to maintain appropriate…”

Carol Wojciechowicz v. United States (2009) ca1 · cites it 4× “See 14 C.F.R. § 91.155 ; In re N-500L Cases, 691 F.”

Glorvigen v. Cirrus Design Corp. (2009) ca8 · cites it 2× “See 14 C.F.R. § 91.155 (a). The sun did not rise that morning until 7:54 a.”

Dennis Howard v. Federal Aviation Administration National Transportation Safety Board (1994) ca9 · cites it 2× “105 (c) (1987), subsequently renumbered 14 C.F.R. § 91.155 (c) (1990). 3 . 14 C.F.”

Srock Ex Rel. Estate of Srock v. United States (2006) mied · cites it 2× “14 C.F.R. § 91.155 . “Rule one (of the FARs) makes it clear that the pilot in command, like the ship captain, has the ultimate responsibility for the safety of his plane and his passengers and must comply with the extensive body of regulations published by the FAA.”

Webb v. United States (1994) utd “14 C.F.R. § 91.155 (c) & (d). b. The “ceiling” for purposes of making the IFR/VFR distinction is the lesser of (1) the height of the lowest opaque broken or overcast layer aloft, or (2) the vertical visibility into a surface-based layer of obscuring phenomena that hides the…”

Bieberle v. United States (2003) ksd “14 CFR § 91.155 (a) (1998). Regulations prohibit a person from acting as pilot-in-command of an aircraft in weather conditions less than those prescribed for VFR flight unless that person holds an instrument rating on his pilot certificate.”

Ridge v. Cessna Aircraft Co. (1997) ca4 “105 (1988) (subsequently recodified at 14 C.F.R. § 91.155 (1995)). The court found that although Cessna put on evidence that tended to show that Ridge technically may not have complied with § 91.”

Cappello v. Duncan Aircraft Sales of Florida, Inc. (1996) ca6 “14 C.F.R. § 91.155 . The pilot under VFR flight rules may not fly through clouds or in weather in which the ceiling is low or the visibility is bad.”

Rick Glorvigen, etc. v. Cirrus Design Corporation (2009) ca8 · cites it 2× “See 14 C.F.R. § 91.155 (a). The sun did not rise that morning until 7:54 a.”

Paul Fullerton v. FAA (2021) ca6 “) Fullerton does not deny that doing so would be a violation of several FAA regulations—namely, 14 C.F.R. § 91.155 (a) (distance below cloud cover), § 135.”

Pegasus Wind LLC v. Tuscola County (2022) michctapp “VFR pilots will be unable to comply with 14 CFR 91.155 VFR visibility and cloud clearance criteria in the vicinity of the wind turbines when the flight visibility is less than 3 statute miles or the cloud ceiling is less than 1400 feet, while remaining in compliance with the…”

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