What are the minimum VFR weather requirements for Class G airspace above 10,000 feet MSL?

• A. 5 statute miles visibility and 1000 above, 1000 below, 1 statue mile horizontally.
• B. 3 statute miles visibility and 1000 above, 500 below, 2000 horizontally.
• C. 1 statue mile visibility and clear of clouds.
• D. 5 statute miles visibility and 1200 above, 1200 below, 2 statue miles horizontally.

Answer: (A)

In Class G airspace above 10,000 feet MSL, VFR weather minimums require you to have five miles of visibility and keep a cloud clearance of 1,000 feet above, 1,000 feet below, and 1 mile horizontally from any clouds. This higher visibility and ample cloud clearance are set because there’s less ATC service in these non-controlled areas at high altitude, so pilots must rely on their own visual clearance and obstacle/traffic awareness.

The five-mile visibility helps ensure you can see and avoid other aircraft and weather, while the cloud clearance values give you a safe buffer relative to clouds you might encounter at high speeds and varying conditions. The 1,000-foot vertical clearances and 1-mile horizontal clearance are the standard VFR requirements in this airspace tier.

The other options don’t fit this altitude band: one-mile visibility with clear of clouds applies to much lower altitudes, and the mixed values shown in the other choices correspond to different airspace classes or different portions of Class G (such as daytime vs nighttime rules below 1,200 AGL or between 1,200 AGL and 10,000 MSL).