No person may operate an aircraft under basic VFR when the flight visibility is less, or at a distance from clouds that is less, than that prescribed for the corresponding altitude and class of airspace.
Class B, C, D, E, and G airspace all have VFR weather minimums, but Class A is different. Since VFR travel, including SVFR, is not allowed in Class A airspace, there are no weather minimums to be aware of. All Class A flights are flown under ATC control and using instruments.
A VFR-On-Top clearance has its limitations. Here are a few you need to follow: Pilots may not fly below minimum en route IFR altitudes because you could crash into the terrain. Minimum en route altitudes exist regardless of IFR or VFR weather conditions and weather assigned a specific altitude or VFR conditions on top.
500 ft rule. An aircraft must maintain an altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
No person may operate an airplane over-the-top or at night under VFR unless that airplane is equipped with the instruments and equipment required for IFR operations under § 91.205(d) and one electric landing light for night operations. Each required instrument and item of equipment must be in operable condition.
Requirements to fly in Class A Airspace:An altitude-encoding transponder. An instrument rating and IFR flight plan. An aircraft that is appropriately equipped for instrument flight.
Private pilots, however, are permitted to fly in every airspace class except for Class A, which requires an instrument rating. Private pilots who do have an instrument rating, however, are allowed to fly in Class A, but they cannot exceed 18,000 feet in altitude.
Visual Flight Rules (VFR) is an aviation term that refers to fly by visual references. It is formed from of the first letters of the English term. The VFR flight window runs from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)—a specialized unit of the U.N.—that has set an upper limit for pilot flying at age 65. As a result, flying through international airspace—including routes prized by senior pilots—will be off-limits to pilots over age 65.
IFR flying is astronomically more challenging than is VFR flying, but those pilots who achieve this distinction are invariably better and safer pilots, both when flying IFR and when flying VFR. Aviating under IFR, a pilot is authorized to fly into clouds in what is called zero visibility.
VFR aircraft also must maintain a horizontal distance of 1sm from clouds while operating in Class E at and above 10,000ft. Below 10,000ft, the increase in TAS is reduced due to the lower altitudes. Therefore, the minimum forward flight visibility can be reduced from 5sm to 3sm.
Can we fly over it? Technically yes, BUT it's still a very bad idea because a motor out would force you to descend through the Class C airspace. We CAN'T fly here without special permission from ATC. Permission should be obtained in advance by telephone (some controllers will accept a radio call).