Special VFR (SVFR) is an ATC clearance that lets you fly VFR inside the surface area of controlled airspace when the weather is below basic VFR minimums. Under 14 CFR 91.157 you must have the clearance, stay clear of clouds with at least 1 statute mile of flight visibility, have 1 statute mile of ground visibility to take off or land, and stay below 10,000 feet MSL. At night the pilot must meet the instrument flight requirements of part 61 in an IFR-equipped aircraft, and fixed-wing SVFR is prohibited at the 33 airports in Appendix D, section 3.
This guide is part of our Airspace and Weather guide. Learn the basic VFR weather minimums first; special VFR is the exception to them.
Why special VFR exists
Inside the surface area of Class B, C, D or E airspace designated for an airport, 14 CFR 91.155 adds two rules to basic VFR: you may not fly VFR beneath a ceiling of less than 1,000 feet, and you may not take off, land or enter the traffic pattern unless ground visibility is at least 3 statute miles. Both rules start with “except as provided in 91.157.” Special VFR is that exception. It lets ATC clear you into, out of or through a surface area in weather that would otherwise stop a VFR flight, as long as you can stay clear of clouds with at least a mile of visibility.
| In the surface area | Basic VFR (91.155) | Special VFR (91.157) |
|---|---|---|
| Clearance | Class B only; C and D need two-way radio contact | ATC clearance required everywhere |
| Flight visibility | 3 statute miles | 1 statute mile |
| Cloud clearance | 500 below, 1,000 above, 2,000 horizontal (clear of clouds in Class B) | Clear of clouds |
| Ceiling to fly beneath | At least 1,000 feet | No ceiling in the rule; stay clear of clouds and meet 91.119 |
| Ground visibility to take off or land | 3 statute miles | 1 statute mile |
| Night, airplanes | Allowed | Only with an instrument-qualified pilot and an IFR-equipped aircraft |
The rule: 14 CFR 91.157
Here is what 91.157 requires, paragraph by paragraph:
- Where (a): below 10,000 feet MSL, within the upward extension of the lateral boundaries of the controlled airspace designated to the surface for an airport. In other words, a Class B, C, D or E surface area. The controllers’ handbook, FAA Order JO 7110.65, adds that SVFR is not authorized in Class E extensions, the surface-based areas that extend a surface area to contain instrument approaches.
- Clearance (b)(1): you need an ATC clearance, and controllers issue one only when the pilot asks for it.
- Clouds (b)(2): clear of clouds, the whole time.
- Visibility (b)(3): at least 1 statute mile flight visibility, except for helicopters.
- Night (b)(4): except for helicopters, only between sunrise and sunset (in Alaska, when the sun is 6 degrees or less below the horizon) unless the pilot meets the part 61 requirements for instrument flight and the aircraft is equipped for IFR under 91.205(d). The AIM summarizes it as instrument rated in an aircraft equipped for IFR.
- Takeoff and landing (c): except for helicopters, ground visibility must be at least 1 statute mile. If ground visibility is not reported, flight visibility must be at least 1 statute mile, and at a satellite airport with no weather reporting that can include what you see from the cockpit in takeoff position. Under 91.157(d), your own estimate is not an official weather report.
Where special VFR is not allowed
Appendix D, section 3 to part 91 lists 33 airports where the special VFR minimums do not apply, so fixed-wing SVFR is prohibited in their surface areas. Helicopters are not affected. On sectional charts these airports show “NO SVFR” above the airport name. The AIM explains that these are Class B and Class C surface areas where fixed-wing SVFR is prohibited because of the volume of IFR traffic:
| Location | Airports (as named in Appendix D) |
|---|---|
| California | Los Angeles International, San Francisco International |
| Colorado | Denver International |
| Washington, DC, and Maryland | Ronald Reagan Washington National, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Joint Base Andrews |
| Florida | Miami International, Tampa International |
| Georgia | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International |
| Hawaii | Honolulu International |
| Illinois | Chicago-O’Hare International |
| Indiana | Indianapolis International |
| Kentucky | Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (Covington), Louisville International-Standiford Field |
| Louisiana | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International |
| Massachusetts | General Edward Lawrence Logan International (Boston) |
| Michigan | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain |
| Missouri | Lambert-St. Louis International |
| New Jersey | Newark Liberty International |
| New York | John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia, Greater Buffalo International |
| Ohio | Cleveland-Hopkins International, Port Columbus International |
| Oregon | Portland International |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia International, Pittsburgh International |
| Tennessee | Memphis International |
| Texas | Dallas/Fort Worth International, Dallas Love Field, George Bush Intercontinental/Houston |
| Washington | Seattle-Tacoma International |
The regulation still uses some older airport names; it lists Greater Buffalo International, for example, which the current Chart Supplement calls Buffalo Niagara International. Check the current Appendix D and your sectional chart rather than memorizing the list.
How to request a special VFR clearance
- Confirm you can. The airport must not be a NO SVFR airport, visibility must be at least 1 statute mile, and it must be daytime unless you are instrument qualified in an IFR-equipped airplane. Your certificate and instructor limitations must allow it, too (see below).
- Call the right facility. Per AIM 4-4-6, if there is a control tower in the surface area, ask the tower. In a Class E surface area, ask the nearest tower, flight service station or center.
- State your intentions. No full flight plan is needed, but give enough detail for ATC to fit you into the traffic flow: where you are, where you are going and which way you will leave or enter the surface area. At an uncontrolled airport inside a surface area with ASOS or AWOS, listen to it first and tell the controller you have the “one-minute weather.”
- Expect to wait. SVFR is approved only when it will not delay IFR traffic, so you may hear “expect (number) minutes delay.”
- Listen to the clearance. It contains no assigned altitude, because you must stay clear of clouds. It sounds like “Cessna Three Four Five, cleared out of the Springfield surface area, north of Springfield Airport, maintain special VFR conditions,” sometimes with “at or below” an altitude to keep you under IFR traffic.
- Know where it ends. The clearance is good only in the surface area. Once you leave, basic VFR minimums apply again and ATC no longer separates you.
Inside the surface area, ATC separates SVFR airplanes from each other and from IFR traffic, using nonradar or visual separation rather than radar separation for fixed-wing SVFR (FAA Order JO 7110.65, 7-5-3), so be ready for a delay. If low visibility is the only problem, with no ceiling, you can also ask to “climb to VFR” within the surface area. Brush up on towered airport communications before you try it with an instructor.
Write the special VFR request down before you key the mic: who you are, where you are, what you want and which direction you will go. A short, complete request is easier for a busy controller to approve, and it keeps your own plan clear when the weather is marginal.
Student, sport and recreational pilots
A student pilot may not act as pilot in command with flight or surface visibility under 3 statute miles by day or 5 at night (14 CFR 61.89), and recreational and sport pilots have the same 3-mile floor (61.101(e)(9) and 61.315(c)(12)). So none of them can use the 1-mile SVFR minimum as pilot in command. A low ceiling with 3 miles or more of visibility is not covered by that limit, but a student may not fly contrary to the limitations an instructor writes in the logbook (61.89(a)(8)). Treat SVFR as a skill you practice with an instructor unless yours specifically authorizes it.
Risk management: why SVFR deserves respect
Special VFR is legal, but the margins are thin. The FAA’s Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge lists scud running, trying to keep visual contact with the terrain at low altitude while instrument conditions exist, and continuing VFR into instrument conditions among the pitfalls that lead to spatial disorientation or collision with the ground or obstacles. These habits keep an SVFR clearance from becoming either one:
- Set personal minimums first. The PHAK suggests personal minimums based on your own experience and proficiency. Decide before the flight what ceiling and visibility you will accept for SVFR, well above the legal mile.
- Know the terrain and obstacles. You remain responsible for obstacle and terrain clearance and for the minimum safe altitudes of 14 CFR 91.119: 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within 2,000 feet over congested areas, and generally 500 feet above the surface elsewhere. A low ceiling can squeeze you between the cloud base and those minimums.
- Plan the exit. Have a route out of the surface area into better weather and a way back if it is no better, because basic VFR applies again outside.
- Do not use SVFR to take a look. If the ceiling is lowering or the visibility is dropping, a legal clearance does not make the flight safe.
- Consider IFR if you are rated. An IFR clearance gives you published procedures and IFR separation in controlled airspace. See the instrument rating guide.
Weather knowledge is the foundation of every one of those decisions. Review METARs and TAFs and the weather hazards guide, and remember that at night SVFR is not an option for a VFR-only pilot.
Gear for marginal-weather planning
What you'll need
Keep the rule text, your airport data and your notes within reach when the weather is marginal.
Frequently asked questions
What are the special VFR weather minimums?
Clear of clouds and at least 1 statute mile of flight visibility, plus 1 statute mile of ground visibility to take off or land (14 CFR 91.157). The rule has no ceiling minimum, but you must stay clear of clouds and above the minimum safe altitudes in 91.119.
Can you fly special VFR at night?
In an airplane, only if the pilot meets the part 61 requirements for instrument flight and the aircraft is equipped for IFR under 91.205(d). The AIM summarizes this as an instrument-rated pilot in an IFR-equipped aircraft. Helicopters are exempt from the night limit.
Where is special VFR not allowed?
Fixed-wing SVFR is prohibited at the 33 airports in Appendix D, section 3 to part 91, marked NO SVFR on sectional charts. It is also limited to surface areas below 10,000 feet MSL and is not authorized in Class E extensions.
Can a student pilot fly special VFR?
Not with less than 3 statute miles of visibility. 14 CFR 61.89 bars a student pilot from acting as pilot in command with flight or surface visibility below 3 statute miles by day or 5 at night, or contrary to the instructor’s logbook limitations.
How do you request special VFR?
Ask the control tower if the surface area has one; in a Class E surface area, ask the nearest tower, flight service station or center. State your intentions; no full flight plan is needed. ATC issues SVFR only on request and only when it will not delay IFR traffic.