What are standard VFR visibility and cloud clearances for operations in Class C airspace during the day?

Pilots operate under either Visual or Instrument Flight Rules
As weather conditions deteriorate from visual to instrument meteorological conditions however, pilots may find themselves in areas which legally require Instrument Flight Rules, but where navigation can still be accomplished visually
- In these situations pilots have another option, Special VFR (SVFR)
SVFR operations may be authorized for aircraft operating in or transiting a Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E surface area when the primary airport is reporting VFR but the pilot advises that basic VFR cannot be maintained
Provided that certain requirements are met, pilots may request their Special VFR clearance from Air Traffic Control
A special VFR clearance is never a given and in fact some exceptions do exist

NO SVFR
Where fixed-wing Special VFR operations are prohibited (certain Class B and Class C Surface Areas), aeronautical publications will mention "NO SVFR"
A list of these Class B and Class C surface areas is contained in 14 CFR Part 91, Appendix D, Section 3 and are also depicted on sectional aeronautical charts
- Atlanta, GA (The William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport)
- Baltimore, MD (Baltimore/Washington International Airport)
- Boston, MA (General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport)
- Buffalo, NY (Greater Buffalo International Airport)
- Chicago, IL (Chicago-O'Hare International Airport)
- Cleveland, OH (Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport)
- Columbus, OH (Port Columbus International Airport)
- Covington, KY (Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport)
- Dallas, TX (Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Airport)
- Dallas, TX (Love Field)
- Denver, CO (Denver International Airport)
- Detroit, MI (Metropolitan Wayne County Airport)
- Honolulu, HI (Honolulu International Airport)
- Houston, TX (George Bush Intercontinental Airport/Houston)
- Indianapolis, IN (Indianapolis International Airport)
- Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles International Airport)
- Louisville, KY (Standiford Field)
- Memphis, TN (Memphis International Airport)
- Miami, FL (Miami International Airport)
- Minneapolis, MN (Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport)
- Newark, NJ (Newark International Airport)
- New York, NY (John F. Kennedy International Airport)
- New York, NY (LaGuardia Airport)
- New Orleans, LA (New Orleans International Airport-Moisant Field)
- Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia International Airport)
- Pittsburgh, PA (Greater Pittsburgh International Airport)
- Portland, OR (Portland International Airport)
- San Francisco, CA (San Francisco International Airport)
- Seattle, WA (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport)
- St. Louis, MO (Lambert-St. Louis International Airport)
- Tampa, FL (Tampa International Airport)
- Washington, DC (Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Andrews Air Force Base, MD)

A private pilot with VFR equipment during the day can request SVFR, it is not until night that you must be instrument rated, and the aircraft instrument equipped
Special VFR is a tool available to any private pilot
- Additionally, it is a great tool to avoid inadvertent IMC
ATC will never solicit a Special VFR clearance unless specifically requested by the pilot
At the end of the day however, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should
- Always maintain your personal minimums regardless of what the regulations say you can do
Remember that SVFR only applies within the terminal area (approximately 5 NM around the airfield) and therefore operations outside of this area (usually class E airspace) require VFR minimums be maintained
Use Special VFR with caution, especially at night
- The requirement for an IFR rated pilot with an IFR equipped airplane is there as preparation for possible inadvertent IMC
Still looking for something? Continue searching: