Since the weather has been so bad for the month of October in the Calgary area, we have been seeing a lot of IFR weather – weather that I, as a private pilot can’t go flying in. What defines IFR conditions? I thought it would be useful to post the IFR outlook chart as published by The Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM).
This table shows the airport weather minimums required for operation – takeoff and landing.
There is also SVFR – special VFR that the VFR pilot can request when minimums are not met. SVFR requires that the pilot has at least 1 mile visibility, stays clear of cloud and the aerodrome has 1 mile horizontal visibility.
Category | Ceiling | Visibility | ||
IFR | Less than 1000 feet AGL | and/or | less than 3 SM | |
MVFR | between 1000 feet and 3000 feet AGL | and/or | between 3 and 5 SM | |
VFR | more than 3000 feet AGL | and | more than 5 SM |