Unable VFR On Top
Joe Shelton’s “On Top of the World” article in August and the letters about it since have all missed one important point. VFR on Top is just another altitude assignment while on an IFR flight plan. Like any altitude assignment, ATC may or may not grant it to you.
Readback: November 2013
Key Takeaways:
- VFR on Top is an altitude assignment granted at ATC's discretion and is frequently denied, especially in busy airspace, while the IFR-required clock must be an installed aircraft system displaying hours, minutes, and seconds.
- Pilots must comply with all approach crossing restrictions outside the Final Approach Fix (FAF) even when on an early glidepath, and transponders should remain in altitude reporting mode ("on" or "normal") while the aircraft is moving on the airport surface.
- FMS-generated advisory glidepaths utilize VDA data but will not display if safety concerns dictate "Descent Angle NA"; LNAV/VNAV approaches with a published DA guarantee obstacle clearance below the DA to the runway through the Glidepath Qualification Segment (GQS).
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