Special VFR

jrh

jrh

Well-Known Member
Is there a guide or article on the internet somewhere that gives a good, complete lecture on how to fly under Special VFR rules (below 10k, clear of clouds, 1 mile flight visibility)? I tried to search AOPA's web site and as usual, it kept giving me errors...does anyone else have this problem with them?

I'm asking because I went special VFR today on a short little 10 mile repositioning flight, and everything went well, but it made me think of how I'm a bit fuzzy on special VFR procedures. I've read the regs and the AIM, but I'd like to make sure I'm 100% clear on what's legal and what's not.

Here's how my flight today went, for those of you inclined to pull out a New York sectional and follow along:

I'm based at PA92, Blue Mountain Academy, a private strip 10 miles north of Reading, PA, KRDG. With this snow storm expected to drop 6-12 inches on us, I didn't want to get our plane stranded at home (we can't plow our runway...it's grass).

Our strip is in Class G airspace to 1200 AGL. Flying towards Reading, 4 miles south of us (6 north of KRDG), the airspace changes to Class E airspace starting at 700 AGL. Then, 6 south of us (4 north of KRDG) the KRDG Class D airspace to the surface begins.

We can monitor the ATIS at KRDG from the ground at our airport. It reported 2 1/2 miles vis, 1800 overcast at KRDG, which seemed to match pretty closely to what I was seeing on the ground at my home airport.

I took off and called Reading Approach as I was climbing through 500 AGL, requesting a special VFR clearance to land at KRDG. They gave me a squawk code, ID'd me on radar, and told me to maintain special VFR at all times. I stayed at about 1000 AGL the whole way to KRDG.

By the time I landed, visibility had dropped to about 1 1/2 miles and ceilings to 1200 feet. It felt great to "use the system" when I needed it, but I started thinking of more scenarios that could have made the flight harder. What if my home airport was in Class E airspace starting at 700 AGL? What if the controller hadn't responded fast enough when I initially called him? How do minimum safe altitudes affect a flight like this? What if I was flying in a place where I wasn't familiar with the terrain? How safe would I be? What would my "outs" be?

That's why I'm looking for more info on the internet about Special VFR. I want to develop sounder judgement as to where and when I use it.
 
jrh said:
What if my home airport was in Class E airspace starting at 700 AGL? What if the controller hadn't responded fast enough when I initially called him? How do minimum safe altitudes affect a flight like this? What if I was flying in a place where I wasn't familiar with the terrain? How safe would I be? What would my "outs" be?
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I'm not clear on what you're asking. The nature of your questions suggests you already know the answer.

Flying around low to the ground in essentially IFR conditions is a real bad idea, which you already know. In unfamiliar terrain, it's worse.

I'm inclined to think that special VFR was intended just to get in and out of airports with localized conditions into better weather. For instance, low level fog on the cost. Not really intended for cross-country flight in poor conditions. That's scud-running.

Filing IFR is the best "out". :)

As for resources, I have a flow chart or decision tree on what you can do under special VFR, but I don't know if that's what you're looking for.
 
jrh said:
but I started thinking of more scenarios that could have made the flight harder. What if my home airport was in Class E airspace starting at 700 AGL? What if the controller hadn't responded fast enough when I initially called him? How do minimum safe altitudes affect a flight like this? What if I was flying in a place where I wasn't familiar with the terrain? How safe would I be? What would my "outs" be?
Click to expand...

If your home airport is Class E you'll have to level off below 700 until you get your SVFR Clearnace, while maintaining clear off clouds! same thing if the ATC takes a while to respond. As for the MEFs, you could fly below them as long as you're aware of the obstacles and their location. If you're flying out of unfamiliar area SVFR is not really a good call.
Thanks for sharing, I don't have that sectional but I bet you had fun.
 
tgrayson said:
I'm not clear on what you're asking. The nature of your questions suggests you already know the answer.

Flying around low to the ground in essentially IFR conditions is a real bad idea, which you already know. In unfamiliar terrain, it's worse.

I'm inclined to think that special VFR was intended just to get in and out of airports with localized conditions into better weather. For instance, low level fog on the cost. Not really intended for cross-country flight in poor conditions. That's scud-running.

Filing IFR is the best "out". :)

As for resources, I have a flow chart or decision tree on what you can do under special VFR, but I don't know if that's what you're looking for.
Click to expand...

I'd like to take a look at that chart/tree you've got if its not too much trouble....
 
tgrayson said:
Filing IFR is the best "out". :)
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:yeahthat:

Of course, filing IFR is not always an option because of the aircraft, currency, etc.

As far as JRH's original question, I think it's pretty cut and dried. I mean, if you call for a pop-up IFR clearance you can't enter the clouds until they get to you and clear you. It's the same for SVFR. Until you're cleared, you stay in G airspace (or on the ground if at a controlled AP). I think the best thing to do is always have an out. Don't take off into 700 ft. overcast and assume you can get a special.

BTW, JRH, we've been utilizing SVFR a lot more lately (and IFR for that matter), so I've gotten a lot more comfortable with it.
 
tgrayson said:
The nature of your questions suggests you already know the answer.
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Haha...you're right. Sometimes I need to ponder things for a while to satisfy myself, and writing is a way I've found to help me ponder things. Maybe I should find a way to ponder things without needing to click a "Post" button ;)

tgrayson said:
I'm inclined to think that special VFR was intended just to get in and out of airports with localized conditions into better weather. For instance, low level fog on the cost. Not really intended for cross-country flight in poor conditions. That's scud-running.
Click to expand...

Very true. I think part of the reason I made this post tonight is because we don't focus on SVFR operations much in private or commercial training, and most operators don't really *need* to fly SVFR much. I know all about the benefits and limitations of going IFR, or plain VFR, because I teach and use those on a regular basis, but when it comes to SVFR, my experience is much more limited. Therefore I sort of had a brain fart when I started thinking about what factors should be considered when going SVFR.

tgrayson said:
Filing IFR is the best "out".
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Agreed...unless you're like me and fly around in plane that isn't even close to being IFR certified.

tgrayson said:
As for resources, I have a flow chart or decision tree on what you can do under special VFR, but I don't know if that's what you're looking for.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'd be very interested to see your chart.
 
DE727UPS said:
JRH, I haven't ever seen a "guide" to your questions. Maybe you should write one.
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Actually, I've been thinking for a while about trying to get another magazine article published somewhere. I think this would be a good topic... :)
 
jrh said:
Still clogging up the entire Class D airspace while you buzz around the pattern on a SVFR clearance? Crappy towers without radar! ;)
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LoL! Haha, sort of. Actually we've used it several times to get out from under what seems to be a never ending ceiling at about 800 ft. these days. Tower just tells us to report departing Class D airspace.

By the way, to answer part of your question from the ATC thread you posted, I believe all IFR traffic gets priority over SVFR traffic meaning if someone is coming in on an approach, anybody wanting SVFR must wait. Even departing this is the case. Just recently I was getting ready to grab an IFR clearance with a student while another aircraft was taxing out for a SVFR departure. When the tower got our strip and was ready to read our clearance to us, they told the plane taxing out that they either had to hold on the ground for us, or be out of Class D before we were ready to go. It was kind of an interesting situation. I'm sure in a radar environment it's slightly different, but I'm sure IFR traffic still gets priority.
 
Just asking.....have you ever heard anyone get a SVFR and say "will accept others"? I think that stops the clogging problem.
 
Question????
At night SVFR you have to be an insturment rated pilot in an instrument rated airplane. The question is.... do you have to be instrument current.
 
siouxtriple7 said:
Question????
At night SVFR you have to be an insturment rated pilot in an instrument rated airplane. The question is.... do you have to be instrument current.
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No. Which is pretty much the only reason I can think of that would make SVFR a better option than IFR at times.

Zooming around down low, at night, VFR, with only a mile visibility? No thanks, not my idea of a good time.
 
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