Personal Minimums
The FAA has a personal minimums worksheet available. Here’s an adapted version of that.
Weather Categories are as follows:
| Category | Ceiling (feet AGL) | Visibility (Statute Miles) |
|---|---|---|
| VFR | > 3,000 | > 5 miles |
| MVFR | 1,000 to 3,000 | 3 to 5 miles |
| IFR | 500 to 999 | 1 to < 3 miles |
| LIFR | < 500 | < 1 mile |
| Weather Condition | Ceiling | Visibility |
|---|---|---|
| VFR | Pattern Work: TPA + 1000 feet MSL Cross Country: Cruise altitude + 2000 feet. IFR Cross Country: Not a factor |
Pattern Work: At least 7 SM. Cross Country: 7+ SM. IFR Cross Country: Not a factor. |
| MVFR | VFR Flight: No go. IFR Flight: At least 2,000 feet AGL |
VFR Flight: No go IFR Flight: Go. |
| IFR | Fly with a safety pilot. | Fly with a safety pilot. |
| LIFR | No go. | No go. |
| Wind Conditions | |
|---|---|
| Turbulence | Less than "Severe". If there's a turbulence PIREP from a jet, then cancel. |
| Surface wind speed (Gusts or Sustained) | Less than 15 knots |
| Crosswind component | Less than 10 knots crosswind component. |
Basically, I have very conservatives minimum at the moment. Which is fine, because I fly light aircraft for fun. I also am relatively inexperienced - at the time of this writing, I have just about 200 hours total time, which is in that danger zone of ~100 to ~500 hours where most GA accidents occur in.
Last updated: 2021-12-05 08:58:45 -0800