VFR Weather Minimums Chart: The Complete Table

This guide covers US basic VFR in airplanes for private-pilot study. The tables include every airplane row in 91.155(a); helicopter minima differ. The hero is a miniature illustration, not a scale drawing of cloud distances.

What are the key facts to remember?

Choose the right row first, then apply any additional pilot or airport restrictions.

MSL means mean sea level; AGL means above ground level. An airplane can be high in MSL altitude but low above mountainous terrain. Class G can require both references.

Flight visibility is the forward cockpit view in flight; ground visibility is reported prevailing horizontal visibility near the surface. They are distinct (14 CFR 1.1).

What are the minimums in Class A, B, C, D and E?

Class B is clear of clouds; C, D and lower Class E use the familiar three-mile and cloud-distance combination.

Source: 91.155(a), cross-checked against FAA AIM 3-1-4. The Class A row is not a VFR permission; Class A operations normally require IFR under 91.135.

The Class E 10,000-foot split does not apply to B, C or D. Class B's “clear of clouds” rule still requires visibility, clearance and other operating conditions.

What does “3–152” mean for cloud clearance?

The mnemonic means 3 SM visibility, 1,000 feet above, 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds.

Keep each direction attached to its number: 500 feet below the cloud base, 1,000 feet above the cloud top, or 2,000 feet horizontally from its side, as applicable to your position. These distances do not prescribe a cruising altitude.

Direction matters: the diagram shows the airplane above, below and beside a cloud. It is not to scale. The lower panel compares the larger clearances in the applicable high-altitude E/G rows.

Higher Class E uses 5 SM visibility, 1,000 feet above and below, and 1 SM horizontally. Keep the units: 1,000 feet vertically and 1 statute mile horizontally are different distances.

Cloud clearance also applies to clouds outside a reported ceiling. A ceiling is the lowest qualifying broken, overcast or obscuration layer reported above the surface; scattered clouds alone are not a ceiling (1.1).

What is the complete Class G table for airplanes?

Class G requires the height above the surface, then—above 1,200 feet—the MSL altitude, plus day or night where indicated.

Source: 91.155(a). The limited night traffic-pattern exception in paragraph (b) is explained below. These are airplane rows, not helicopter rows or student solo permissions.

Read Class G in that order. At exactly 1,200 feet AGL, the first altitude group still applies. Only more than 1,200 feet AGL moves you to the groups that also use 10,000 feet MSL. In those higher-AGL groups, exactly 10,000 feet MSL belongs to the higher-MSL row.

The low Class G group applies regardless of MSL altitude. General minima are shown; student limits and the narrow night-pattern exception must be checked separately.

Assume an airplane is in Class G at 10,600 feet MSL, over terrain at 9,500 feet MSL. Its 1,100-foot AGL height selects 1 SM and clear of clouds by day. The hypothetical demonstrates a table row, not a recommended weather margin or a real location's designation.

How do you choose a row on a chart problem?

Identify the actual class at the airplane's position and altitude before applying the weather table.

Under a Class B shelf, the underlying airspace may be E rather than G. Use current charts, effective hours and airport information; our airspace classes guide explains this step.

Note class, MSL altitude, AGL height if G, day/night and aircraft type. Read all weather values from one row, then check airport provisions, pilot limits and exceptions. This is a study method, not an FAA operational checklist.

An easily missed provision concerns the exact Class E base altitude. For the weather requirements in this section, 91.155(e) treats an aircraft at that base as in the airspace directly below it.

Hypothetical daytime airplane example: Class G lies below a 700-foot-AGL Class E base, with no overlapping class and all points below 10,000 feet MSL. Paragraph (e) is a weather-rule provision, not a redefinition of every airspace operating rule.

Here, 699 feet AGL uses G; exactly 700 still uses G for weather; 701 uses lower E. This base-altitude provision is distinct from the 10,000-foot-MSL split in Class E whose base lies well below 10,000.

What is the Class G night traffic-pattern exception?

A narrow exception permits clear-of-clouds airplane operation with 1 to less than 3 SM visibility in a specified Class G night pattern.

Under 91.155(b)(2), the operation must be below 1,200 feet above the surface, in an airport traffic pattern within one-half mile of the runway, during night hours, with visibility at least 1 SM but less than 3 SM. Every condition matters. The regulation also names powered parachutes and weight-shift-control aircraft; this article focuses on airplanes.

The ordinary low-Class-G row includes exactly 1,200 feet; the exception requires below 1,200. It does not extend to nearby en route flight or establish a general “one mile at night” rule.

Student PIC restrictions still apply: the separate 5 SM night minimum prevents student solo at 2 SM. Instructor limitations may require more visibility.

What extra rules apply at airport surface areas?

Basic VFR airport operations can require a qualifying ceiling and reported ground visibility in addition to the flight-visibility and cloud-distance table.

91.155(c) prohibits basic VFR beneath the ceiling within the lateral boundaries of controlled airspace designated to the surface for an airport when the ceiling is less than 1,000 feet. The special VFR provision is separate.

Under paragraph (d), basic VFR takeoff, landing or entry into the airport traffic pattern within Class B, C, D or E surface areas designated for an airport requires at least 3 SM ground visibility. If ground visibility is not reported, flight visibility during those operations must be at least 3 SM instead.

A 1,000-foot ceiling meets that ceiling threshold, but does not establish cloud clearance, compliance with other altitude rules or safe conditions. Adequate airport ground visibility does not prove adequate flight visibility along the route.

Can a student pilot use the lowest Class G minimum?

A student acting as PIC must meet at least 3 SM flight or surface visibility by day and 5 SM at night, even where the general Class G table allows less.

61.89(a)(6)–(8) also requires surface reference and compliance with instructor logbook limitations. Visibility alone does not authorize solo flight. Students seeking sport-pilot privileges have additional restrictions in the same section.

Apply airspace cloud distances alongside student visibility limits. Daytime low Class G may allow 1 SM and clear of clouds generally, but a student PIC still needs 3 SM flight or surface visibility and must follow higher instructor limits.

Legal minima are thresholds, not personal weather goals. Consider terrain, visibility trends, escape options and your experience with your instructor. FAA AIM 7-1-5 stresses evaluating current and forecast conditions against pilot experience and aircraft capabilities.

Can special VFR replace the basic table?

Special VFR is a separate ATC authorization with its own conditions; it is not an automatic permission to operate below basic minima.

91.157 addresses operations below 10,000 feet MSL in the upward extension of the lateral boundaries of controlled airspace designated to the surface for an airport. For airplanes, it requires ATC clearance, clear of clouds and at least 1 SM flight visibility, with separate takeoff/landing visibility provisions. Listed airports prohibit these operations for fixed-wing aircraft.

Outside its sunrise-to-sunset window, airplane special VFR requires applicable instrument pilot qualifications and aircraft equipment; Alaska has a specific daylight provision. This differs from ordinary civil-twilight night. Student restrictions still apply. Consult the full rule before considering an operation.

Check yourself

These are original study scenarios, not released FAA exam questions.

Frequently asked questions

Are VFR visibility miles nautical or statute miles?

The 91.155 visibility values are statute miles. The higher E/G cloud-clearance row also specifies 1 statute mile horizontally. Keep that separate from airspace dimensions that charts commonly describe in nautical miles.

Does Class G above 10,000 feet MSL always require 5 SM?

No. First check height above the surface. The low Class G group applies at 1,200 feet AGL or less regardless of MSL altitude. The 5 SM row needs both more than 1,200 feet above the surface and at least 10,000 feet MSL.

When is night for the ordinary Class G table?

The general definition in 1.1 runs from the end of evening civil twilight to the beginning of morning civil twilight, using the Air Almanac times converted to local time. Other rules, including special VFR, can specify a different time window.

Does a VFR weather report prove my flight is legal?

No. You still need the actual airspace row, required cloud distances, applicable airport provisions and pilot restrictions. A forecast or airport observation does not establish cockpit visibility or cloud clearance at every point on your route. Use current briefing information and assess the complete operation.

What should you practise next?

Start with airspace classes explained to identify the class before calculating minimums. For broader exam preparation, use the private pilot written-test guide; after a test, organize missed airspace topics with your knowledge-test report and ACS codes.

Practise selecting a weather row with FirstSolo.ai. It is solely a study tool and does not issue endorsements now or in the future.

Sources and review notes

• 14 CFR 91.155: basic airplane minimums, Class G exceptions, airport surface-area conditions and exact Class E base treatment.
• FAA AIM 3-1-4: independent cross-check of the basic weather table and student note.
• 14 CFR 61.89: student PIC visibility, surface reference and instructor limitations.
• 14 CFR 91.157: separate special VFR conditions; 91.135: Class A operations.
• 14 CFR 1.1: ceiling, flight visibility, ground visibility and night definitions.
• FAA AIM 7-1-5: preflight weather assessment.

Facts checked October 11, 2026 against the current official pages; the eCFR displayed Title 14 updated through October 7. Figures and scenarios are original teaching aids. Human technical review remains pending before publication.

FirstSolo.ai is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA.