Ceilings, Visibility, and Cloud Clearance
Turn reported layers and visibility into the stricter of regulation, authorization, aircraft, and mission limits.
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
- 01Identify the rule, source, or principle behind this idea: A ceiling is the lowest broken or overcast layer, or vertical visibility into an obscuration.
- 02Explain the operational effect of this idea: Part 107 generally requires three statute miles of flight visibility and 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds.
- 03Apply the lesson to a new mission and defend a go, modify, or no-go decision.
01 / MISSION
Begin with the operating problem.
The airport reports four miles visibility, but haze makes the aircraft hard to orient at the far end of the planned route.
02 / CORE BRIEF
What the remote pilot needs to know.
A ceiling is the lowest broken or overcast layer, or vertical visibility into an obscuration.
Part 107 generally requires three statute miles of flight visibility and 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds.
VLOS can become impractical before a reported legal visibility number is reached.
03 / PILOT DECISION
Make the call.
Shorten or cancel the route based on actual VLOS; a reported value does not override site conditions.
04 / FIELD CHECK
Put it into the flight plan.
Write both legal minima and more conservative mission stop values.
05 / KNOWLEDGE CHECK
Does four-mile reported visibility guarantee VLOS across a long site?
Reveal the debrief
No. VLOS depends on aircraft, lighting, background, observer position, and actual local conditions.
RELATED FAA REFERENCES
Verify before you fly.
- 14 CFR Part 107 — current eCFR
- NOAA / FAA — Aviation Weather Center
- FAA — Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28B)
Educational summary only. Current regulation, FAA approval conditions, manufacturer instructions, and site-specific facts control the operation.