705 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 91.161 

(e) For the purpose of this section, an 

aircraft operating at the base altitude 
of a Class E airspace area is considered 
to be within the airspace directly 
below that area. 

[Doc. No. 24458, 56 FR 65660, Dec. 17, 1991, as 
amended by Amdt. 91–235, 58 FR 51968, Oct. 5, 
1993; Amdt. 91–282, 69 FR 44880, July 27, 2004; 
Amdt. 91–330, 79 FR 9972, Feb. 21, 2014; Amdt. 
91–330A, 79 FR 41125, July 15, 2014] 

§ 91.157

Special VFR weather mini-

mums. 

(a) Except as provided in appendix D, 

section 3, of this part, special VFR op-
erations may be conducted under the 
weather minimums and requirements 
of this section, instead of those con-
tained in § 91.155, below 10,000 feet MSL 
within the airspace contained by the 
upward extension of the lateral bound-
aries of the controlled airspace des-
ignated to the surface for an airport. 

(b) Special VFR operations may only 

be conducted— 

(1) With an ATC clearance; 
(2) Clear of clouds; 
(3) Except for helicopters, when flight 

visibility is at least 1 statute mile; and 

(4) Except for helicopters, between 

sunrise and sunset (or in Alaska, when 
the sun is 6 degrees or less below the 
horizon) unless— 

(i) The person being granted the ATC 

clearance meets the applicable require-
ments for instrument flight under part 
61 of this chapter; and 

(ii) The aircraft is equipped as re-

quired in § 91.205(d). 

(c) No person may take off or land an 

aircraft (other than a helicopter) under 
special VFR— 

(1) Unless ground visibility is at least 

1 statute mile; or 

(2) If ground visibility is not re-

ported, unless flight visibility is at 
least 1 statute mile. For the purposes 
of this paragraph, the term flight visi-
bility includes the visibility from the 
cockpit of an aircraft in takeoff posi-
tion if: 

(i) The flight is conducted under this 

part 91; and 

(ii) The airport at which the aircraft 

is located is a satellite airport that 
does not have weather reporting capa-
bilities. 

(d) The determination of visibility by 

a pilot in accordance with paragraph 

(c)(2) of this section is not an official 
weather report or an official ground 
visibility report. 

[Amdt. 91–235, 58 FR 51968, Oct. 5, 1993, as 
amended by Amdt. 91–247, 60 FR 66874, Dec. 
27, 1995; Amdt. 91–262, 65 FR 16116, Mar. 24, 
2000; Docket No. FAA–2022–1355, Amdt. No. 
91–366, 87 FR 75846, Dec. 9, 2022] 

§ 91.159

VFR cruising altitude or flight 

level. 

Except while holding in a holding 

pattern of 2 minutes or less, or while 
turning, each person operating an air-
craft under VFR in level cruising flight 
more than 3,000 feet above the surface 
shall maintain the appropriate altitude 
or flight level prescribed below, unless 
otherwise authorized by ATC: 

(a) When operating below 18,000 feet 

MSL and— 

(1) On a magnetic course of zero de-

grees through 179 degrees, any odd 
thousand foot MSL altitude + 500 feet 
(such as 3,500, 5,500, or 7,500); or 

(2) On a magnetic course of 180 de-

grees through 359 degrees, any even 
thousand foot MSL altitude + 500 feet 
(such as 4,500, 6,500, or 8,500). 

(b) When operating above 18,000 feet 

MSL, maintain the altitude or flight 
level assigned by ATC. 

[Doc. No. 18334, 54 FR 34294, Aug. 18, 1989, as 
amended by Amdt. 91–276, 68 FR 61321, Oct. 
27, 2003; 68 FR 70133, Dec. 17, 2003] 

§ 91.161

Special awareness training re-

quired for pilots flying under visual 
flight rules within a 60-nautical 
mile radius of the Washington, DC 
VOR/DME. 

(a) 

Operations within a 60-nautical mile 

radius of the Washington, DC VOR/DME 
under visual flight rules (VFR). Except 
as provided under paragraph (e) of this 
section, no person may serve as a pilot 
in command or as second in command 
of an aircraft while flying within a 60- 
nautical mile radius of the DCA VOR/ 
DME, under VFR, unless that pilot has 
completed Special Awareness Training 
and holds a certificate of training com-
pletion. 

(b) 

Special Awareness Training. The 

Special Awareness Training consists of 
information to educate pilots about the 
procedures for flying in the Wash-
ington, DC area and, more generally, in 
other types of special use airspace. 

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