One of the most-often busted federal aviation regulations is VFR cloud clearances. That’s because pilots often have a hard time judging how close they really are to clouds. We all know that in Class E airspace below 10,000 feet msl we need at least 3 statute miles of visibility and must remain 500 feet below, 1,000 feet above and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds.
Judging VFR Cloud Distances
Key Takeaways:
- VFR pilots often violate cloud clearance regulations due to the difficulty of accurately judging distances to clouds, exacerbated by visual illusions.
- To approximate cloud separation, pilots can use ground landmarks and sectional charts, or think in terms of flight time (e.g., 2,000 feet equals 10 seconds at 110 knots).
- Since exact judgment is impossible and for safety reasons (e.g., potential IFR traffic), pilots are advised to give clouds a wider berth than the minimum legal requirements.
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