Passion for Flight

Flight above clouds Our Zenith 601HDS plane, N314LB, is not equipped for flight under instrument flight rules (IFR). Nor do we have the appropriate rating for that kind of flight. Hence, we are restricted to visual flight rules (VFR). They demand that we cannot fly into clouds, let alone fly while embedded in clouds. VFR Cloud Conditions Below 10,000 ft MSL, VFR flight must be at least 500 ft below clouds or 1,000 ft above clouds, and horizontally must be at least 2,000 ft away from clouds. Above 10,000 ft MSL, two of the conditions are stricter: The 500 ft condition for flight below clouds is increased to 1,000 ft,  and the horizontal distance condition becomes 1 mile. The conditions are relaxed close to the ground: Up to 1,200 ft above ground level (AGL), VFR flight only needs to stay clear of clouds. Near airports, indicated by magenta shading on maps, that limit is lowered to 700 ft AGL.  The above summary is incomplete since it ignores conditions for night flight, w