Visual flight rules - Citizendia

"VFR" redirects here. For other uses, see VFR (disambiguation).

Visual flight rules (VFR) are a set of aviation regulations under which a pilot may operate an aircraft in weather conditions sufficient to allow the pilot, by visual reference to the environment outside the cockpit, to control the aircraft's attitude, navigate, and maintain safe separation from obstacles such as terrain, buildings, and other aircraft. Aviation refers to activities involving man-made flying devices ( Aircraft) including the people organizations and regulatory bodies involved with them Aircraft attitude is used to mean two closely related aspects of the situation of an aircraft in flight A VFR flight is a "flight conducted in accordance with the visual flight rules". ^[1]

The essential collision safety principle guiding the VFR pilot is "see and avoid. " Pilots flying under VFR assume responsibility for their separation from all other aircraft and are generally not assigned routes or altitudes by air traffic control. Air traffic control ( ATC) is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct Aircraft on the ground and in the air Near busier airports, and while operating within certain types of airspace classifications, VFR aircraft in Class B & Class C airspace are required to have a transponder. Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a particular country on top of its territory and Territorial waters or more generally any specific three-dimensional A transponder is an electronic device that produces a response when it receives a radio-frequency interrogation Governing agencies establish specific requirements for VFR flight, consisting of minimum visibility, distance from clouds, and altitude to ensure that aircraft operating under VFR can be seen from a far enough distance to ensure safety.

From a regulatory perspective, airspace is categorized as controlled and uncontrolled. In controlled airspace known as class B, air traffic control (ATC) will separate VFR aircraft from all other aircraft. The world’s navigable Airspace is divided into three-dimensional segments each of which is assigned to a specific class. Air traffic control ( ATC) is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct Aircraft on the ground and in the air In most other types of controlled airspace, ATC is only required to maintain separation to aircraft operating under instrument flight rules (IFR), but workload permitting will assist all aircraft. In the United States, a pilot operating VFR outside of class B airspace can request "VFR traffic following" from air traffic control (ATC). This service is provided by ATC if workload permits it, but is an advisory service only. The responsibility for maintaining separation with other aircraft and proper navigation still remains with the pilot.

Meteorological conditions that meet the minimum requirements for VFR flight are termed visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Meteorology (from Greek grc μετέωρος metéōros, "high in the sky" and grc -λογία -logia) is the Interdisciplinary In Aviation, visual meteorological conditions (or VMC) are those in which Visual flight rules (VFR Flight is permitted—that is conditions If they are not met, the conditions are considered instrument meteorological conditions, and a flight may only operate under IFR. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC sometimes referred to as Blind flying, is an aviation term that describes weather conditions that normally require pilots to

IFR operations have specific training, recency of experience, equipment, and inspection requirements for both the pilot and aircraft, and an IFR flight plan, must usually be filed in advance. Flight plans are documents filed by pilots or a Flight Dispatcher with the local Civil Aviation Authority (e For efficiency of operations, some ATC operations will routinely provide "pop-up" IFR clearances for aircraft operating VFR, but that are arriving at an airport that does not meet VMC requirements. For example, in the United States, at least California's Oakland (KOAK), Monterey (KMRY) and Santa Ana (John Wayne, KSNA) airports do so routinely when a low coastal overcast forces instrument approaches while essentially the entire state of California is basking in sunshine. KOAK (1080 AM) is a commercial Radio station serving the Red Oak Iowa area KMRY (1450 AM, "K-Memory" is a Radio station licensed to serve Cedar Rapids Iowa. KSNA (943 FM, "Sunny 943" is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format An instrument approach or instrument approach procedure (IAP is a type of Air navigation that allows pilots to land an Aircraft in

In the United States, VFR pilots also have an option for requesting Special VFR when meteorological conditions at an airport are below normal VMC minimums, but above Special VFR requirements. Special visual flight rules (SVFR are a set of Aviation regulations under which a pilot may operate an Aircraft. Special VFR is only intended to enable takeoffs and landings from airports that are near to VMC conditions, and may only be performed during daytime hours if a pilot does not possess an instrument rating. Instrument rating refers to the qualifications that a pilot must have in order to fly under IFR (Instrument Flight Rules

VFR flight is not allowed in airspace known as class A, regardless of the meteorological conditions. The world’s navigable Airspace is divided into three-dimensional segments each of which is assigned to a specific class. In the United States, class A airspace begins at 18,000 feet msl, and extends to an altitude of 60,000 feet msl. Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface

1 Pilot certifications
2 Controlled visual flight rules
3 References
4 See also

Pilot certifications

In the United States and Canada, any certificated pilot who meets specific recency of experience criteria, may operate an airworthy aircraft under VFR.

Controlled visual flight rules

CVFR flight is used in locations where aviation authorities have determined that VFR flight should be allowed, but that ATC separation minimal and guidance are necessary. Air traffic control ( ATC) is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct Aircraft on the ground and in the air In this respect, CVFR is similar to Instrument flight rules (IFR) in that ATC will give pilots headings and altitudes at which to fly, and will provide separation and conflict resolution. However, pilots and aircraft do not need to be IFR rated to fly in CVFR areas, which is highly advantageous. An example of airspace where CVFR is common would be Canadian Class B airspace. Canadian airspace is the region of navigable Airspace above the surface of the Earth that falls within a region roughly defined by the Canadian land mass the Canadian

The CVFR concept is used in Canada and certain European countries, but not in the U.S., where the Private Pilot certificate itself authorizes the pilot to accept clearances under VFR. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Pilot certification in the United States is under the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA

In Israel, for example, VFR does not exist. All visual flights must be performed under CVFR rules.

References

^ Annex 11 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, 1/11/01, chap. The Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO a specialized 1, p. 6

VFR rules - publised by CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority)

Contents

Pilot certifications

Controlled visual flight rules

References

See also