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Can planes fly over clouds?
It’s technically possible to fly inside clouds, fog, snow, at night, etc, but this type of flight is regulated, it requires technical elements both in the aircraft and on the ground, and mandatory additional training for the pilot.
Can gliders fly above clouds?
Some gliders themselves are NOT cleared for cloud flying, whilst all others that ARE cleared specify you MUST have a T&S or an Horizon.
Can VFR fly in Broken clouds?
Cloud layers, of whatever type, are always given with altitude of the bottom of the layer, measured in feet AGL. The last two cases, broken and overcast, describe a cloud layer that may not be penetrated in VFR flight. The bottom of such a layer constitutes a ceiling for VFR flight.
Do gliders have an artificial horizon?
Artificial Horizons are very rare in real gliders. This is because they require a power source to spin the gyro inside. Gliders only have battery to power them and no way to charge the battery in flight.
Can a pilot fly above a layer of clouds?
I often see charts like the one above showing VFR cloud clearance minima. Since the regs list a minimum distance above clouds obviously VFR flights are allowed to fly over clouds. However, it’s not clear what kind of clouds one can fly over: only individual smaller clouds, a broken layer or a solid layer.
Can a VFR plane fly over a cloud?
Since the regs list a minimum distance above clouds obviously VFR flights are allowed to fly over clouds. However, it’s not clear what kind of clouds one can fly over: only individual smaller clouds, a broken layer or a solid layer.
What does VFR Over the top mean in IFR?
Flying VFR over a cloud layer is what is known as VFR over-the-top. VFR over-the-top is very different from VFR-on-top, many people incorrectly use the two terms interchangeably. VFR-on-top is conducted by an instrument-rated pilot on an IFR flight plan. It allows the pilot to change altitudes, provided VFR cloud clearances are maintained.
How big of a cloud clearance do I need for VfR?
VFR over-the-top can be a very useful tool to get above a cloud layer instead of flying in haze or restricted visibility below the clouds. But remember that you have to come back down at some point. Part 91 specifies cloud clearances below 10,000 feet MSL as 500 feet under, 1000 feet over, and 2000 feet horizontal.