Special VFR, min. safe alt. & terminal area

[durind]

I recently was doing local approaches at an airport close to the aircraft's home base. We did a few approaches then attempted to head back to our airport but found that fog extended until about 600 feet off the ground at the airport we had been doing our approaches at blocking us from our home base.

Now, the airport we were doing approaches at is on a 600 foot hill and this hill extends only about 3 miles towards our airport before it drops away to a valley which is at sea level. Another instructor requested a special VFR and just went underneath it, but the entire area between the airport and home base is most definitely congested.

Someone tried to explain to me that if you are in the terminal area of an airport that the altitude minimums don't apply, but the way I see it, it would only be if you landing at that airport, whose terminal area you are flying low in.

So essentially to boil down my question to one sentence, can you ignore minimum safe altitudes if you are on a special VFR clearance, very clearly within the terminal area of an airport, but NOT intending to land at that airport?

 

[MikeD]

I recently was doing local approaches at an airport close to the aircraft's home base. We did a few approaches then attempted to head back to our airport but found that fog extended until about 600 feet off the ground at the airport we had been doing our approaches at blocking us from our home base.

Now, the airport we were doing approaches at is on a 600 foot hill and this hill extends only about 3 miles towards our airport before it drops away to a valley which is at sea level. Another instructor requested a special VFR and just went underneath it, but the entire area between the airport and home base is most definitely congested.

Someone tried to explain to me that if you are in the terminal area of an airport that the altitude minimums don't apply, but the way I see it, it would only be if you landing at that airport, whose terminal area you are flying low in.

So essentially to boil down my question to one sentence, can you ignore minimum safe altitudes if you are on a special VFR clearance, very clearly within the terminal area of an airport, but NOT intending to land at that airport?

In a congested area, you have to maintain the MSAs if you're not taking off or landing. The opening paragraph of 14 CFR 91.119 that states "except when necessary for takeoff or landing" . Helicopters have an exclusion for this on prescribed VFR routings.

Along with that, you as an airplane have to maintain 1 mile/clear of clouds, or if a helo, clear of clouds and speed to avoid obstacles, and no viz requirement in Class G.

 

[durind]

In a congested area, you have to maintain the MSAs if you're not taking off or landing. The opening paragraph of 14 CFR 91.119 that states "except when necessary for takeoff or landing" . Helicopters have an exclusion for this on prescribed VFR routings.

Along with that, you as an airplane have to maintain 1 mile/clear of clouds, or if a helo, clear of clouds and speed to avoid obstacles, and no viz requirement in Class G.

Yeah I was pretty sure about that as well, just got some conflicting information from people with more experience than me so I wanted to gather more opinions. Thanks for the fast response!

 

[TwoTwoLeft]

§ 91.119 Minimum safe altitudes: General.​

Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes:​

(a) Anywhere. An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.​

(b) Over congested areas. Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.​

(c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.​

When transitioning, special VFR or not, paragraphs a, b, & c apply.

 

[pnwchief22]

I have heard hangar talk at our local airport, for low clouds use the Columbia River VFR arrival (unpublished) . Maybe something similar for the Snohomish River .

 

[durind]

I have heard hangar talk at our local airport, for low clouds use the Columbia River VFR arrival (unpublished) . Maybe something similar for the Snohomish River .

Hehe, tried that, that was my backup to follow the snohomish river from the ocean, very strange to see the fog come all the way to the surface flying over the water.