HELICOPTER VFR MINIMUMS
Helicopters have the same VFR minimums as airplanes
with two exceptions. In Class G airspace or under a
special visual flight rule (SVFR) clearance, helicopters
have no minimum visibility requirement but must
remain clear of clouds and operate at a speed that is
slow enough to give the pilot an adequate opportunity
to see other aircraft or an obstruction in time to avoid a
collision. Helicopters are also authorized (Part 91,
appendix D, section 3) to obtain SVFR clearances at
airports with the designation NO SVFR in the Airport
Facility Directory (A/FD) or on the sectional chart.
Figure 7-7 on page 7-8 shows the visibility and cloud
clearance requirements for VFR and SVFR. However,
lower minimums associated with Class G airspace and
SVFR do not take the place of the VFR minimum
requirements of either Part 135 regulations or respective
OpsSpecs.
![](images/chapter_7.jpg)
Knowledge of all VFR minimums is required in order
to determine if a Point-in-Space (PinS) approach can
be conducted, or if a SVFR clearance is required to
continue past the missed approach point (MAP). These
approaches and procedures will be discussed in detail
later.
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