The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has requirements for the Special VFR.

It is possible to get into or out of an airport with low ceilings.Do you know if it's a good idea?

When the ceiling is less than 1,000 feet, no person can operate an aircraft beneath it.

What does that mean?If you're flying into or out of an airport that has Class E, D, C or B airspace to the surface, you need a minimum of 1,000' ceilings.

If the ceilings are less than 1,000', you will need a Special VFR clearance to get in or out.

If the airport's ceiling is less than 1,000', you may be able to fly to or from it.

The minimum weather you need for Special VFR is the first step.It's stated in FAR 91.157.

It's best to fly under an SVFR clearance if the weather is hovering at or near the airport.

If the airport is sitting under a small cloud layer, or if you find yourself in rapidly changing conditions, it is a good way to get yourself safely on the ground.

You can use a Special VFR clearance from sunrise to sunset if you're a private pilot.What happens when the sun goes down?

You need to be qualified for instrument flight under FAR 61 if you want to fly at night.You need to be ready to go.

This makes sense, right?It's not a lot to work with at night.Picking up an IFR clearance is the safest option if you meet the qualifications.

Who do you call if you decide to go with SVFR?The tower is a good place to start if you're flying into a field.Depending on where you are, they may need to coordinate with an approach or center facility, but they can usually coordinate the clearance.Flight Service is a great place to start if you want to fly into a non-towered airport.The Air Traffic Control facility that is in charge of the airspace where you're headed can coordinate with Flight Service.FSS is a great place for pilots to start because their frequencies are marked on VFR charts, unlike center and approach control frequencies that you might have to dig for in an Airport Facility Directory or an approach chart.You can ask for a Special VFR clearance when you call Flight Service.They'll call up ATC, get the clearance, and send it back to you.There are six most dangerous weather-hazards in aircraft.Who uses Special VFR now that we've covered all of this?For one, the Coast Guard.The ceilings at the West Coast airports are often under 1,000'.The solution?Instead of picking up an IFR clearance, they can pick up a Special VFR clearace, fly out of the surface area at the airport, then cancel their clearance and operate in Class G airspace, which is clear of clouds at 1,200' AGL and lower."Coast Guard Small" is the title of the show.You can get it into larger airports like Class D, C, and even some B airports.There are many Class C and B airports that don't allow SVFR.Did you ever pick up a clearance?Tell us why in the comments.What are pilots saying about their headsets?You can read the reviews here.Become a better pilot by getting real-world flying tips and information direct to your inbox every week.Sign Up function lqs_mailform"replace(/+/g," "))var c,d,e;d;document.createElement("input");cSetClassNames(b,["invalid"]),setAttribute("placeholder",b.getAttribute))"GetOnSubmitResponse(d.senderName,d)", window.location.protocol,"+a);" complete!",lqs_mailform.load

The tower is a good place to start if you're flying into a field.Depending on where you are, they may need to coordinate with an approach or center facility, but they can usually coordinate the clearance.Flight Service is a great place to start if you want to fly into a non-towered airport.The Air Traffic Control facility that is in charge of the airspace where you're headed can coordinate with Flight Service.FSS is a great place for pilots to start because their frequencies are marked on VFR charts, unlike center and approach control frequencies that you might have to dig for in an Airport Facility Directory or an approach chart.You can ask for a Special VFR clearance when you call Flight Service.They'll call up ATC, get the clearance, and send it back to you.There are six most dangerous weather-hazards in aircraft.Who uses Special VFR now that we've covered all of this?For one, the Coast Guard.The ceilings at the West Coast airports are often under 1,000'.The solution?Instead of picking up an IFR clearance, they can pick up a Special VFR clearace, fly out of the surface area at the airport, then cancel their clearance and operate in Class G airspace, which is clear of clouds at 1,200' AGL and lower."Coast Guard Small" is the title of the show.You can get it into larger airports like Class D, C, and even some B airports.There are many Class C and B airports that don't allow SVFR.Did you ever pick up a clearance?Tell us why in the comments.What are pilots saying about their headsets?You can read the reviews here.Become a better pilot by getting real-world flying tips and information direct to your inbox every week.Sign Up function lqs_mailform"replace(/+/g," "))var c,d,e;d;document.createElement("input");cSetClassNames(b,["invalid"]),setAttribute("placeholder",b.getAttribute))"GetOnSubmitResponse(d.senderName,d)", window.location.protocol,"+a);" complete!",lqs_mailform.load

The tower is a good place to start if you're flying into a field.Depending on where you are, they may need to coordinate with an approach or center facility, but they can usually coordinate the clearance.

Flight Service is a great place to start if you want to fly into a non-towered airport.The Air Traffic Control facility that is in charge of the airspace where you're headed can coordinate with Flight Service.FSS is a great place for pilots to start because their frequencies are marked on VFR charts, unlike center and approach control frequencies that you might have to dig for in an Airport Facility Directory or an approach chart.

You can ask for a Special VFR clearance when you call Flight Service.They'll call up ATC, get the clearance, and send it back to you.

Who uses Special VFR now that we've covered all of this?For one, the Coast Guard.The ceilings at the West Coast airports are often under 1,000'.