Weather minimums for class G during the day (below 1200'AGL) are 1SM vis. and clear of clouds. The categorical outlook (AIM 7-1-7) for IFR is 1sm to 3sm visibility and a ceiling of 500'AGL to 1000'AGL. Now if I want to takeoff from class G airspace during the day as VFR with 2SM of visibility and a ceiling of 700'AGL, am I allowed to do it?
2 Answers
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I think you are mixing up ceilings and cloud coverage.
14 CFR 91.155(a) says how much visibility you must have, and how far away from clouds you must be in VFR. In class G at day under 1200 feet AGL, this is 1 mile visibility and "clear of clouds."
14 CFR 91.155(c) is where "ceilings" come in:
Except as provided in § 91.157, no person may operate an aircraft beneath the ceiling under VFR within the lateral boundaries of controlled airspace designated to the surface for an airport when the ceiling is less than 1,000 feet.
A class G airport does not have controlled airspace designated to its surface, so this does not apply, and you can operate under lower ceilings as long as you can maintain the appropriate visibility cloud clearance requirements.
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FAR 91.155 states that operating VFR in uncontrolled (class G) airspace during the day in an airplane requires that you have 1 mile visibility and remain clear of clouds. You mentioned this in your question.
It is vitally important to always check with weather sources (appropriate forecasts, metar's, outlooks, etc.) prior to and during any flight. But, based on your question, the "categorical outlook" may help you decide whether or not you may want to fly at all, however, it is not limiting with respect to operating under VFR as long as VMC exists.
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1$\begingroup$ I think they're referring to the "flight categories" as defined by the National Weather Service: Low IFR, IFR, Marginal VFR, and VFR. $\endgroup$ Commented Jun 2, 2023 at 3:23
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$\begingroup$ By categorical outlooks I mean the 7-1-7 rule from the AIM. I updated my question with that detail. These are the categories that are shown in the METARs in ForeFlight, like @randomhead said Low IFR, IFR, Marginal VFR, and VFR $\endgroup$– n00bCommented Jun 2, 2023 at 4:12
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1$\begingroup$ @n00b Thanks. I'll remove that part of my request for clarification. But I will keep the last part. $\endgroup$– user22445Commented Jun 2, 2023 at 4:26
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$\begingroup$ @757toga in regards to your question in the answer/post, I’m not saying that it’s not VMC, I actually don’t know what it is, hence my question. I chose those values as an example, cause they’re considered IFR according to the categorical outlooks, but they’re still legal according to class G weather minimums, which made me confused. But I guess the AIM rule is not regulatory…. I was always taught that if it says IFR or LOW IFR (categorical outlooks) in the METAR then you cannot takeoff under VFR, but apparently that’s not true in class G. $\endgroup$– n00bCommented Jun 2, 2023 at 4:52
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$\begingroup$ @n00b Thanks. I will remove my request for clarification. $\endgroup$– user22445Commented Jun 2, 2023 at 5:02