VFR OTT in the U.S.

CanadianEh · Post by **CanadianEh** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:57 am

I'm looking for information on the VFR OTT in the U.S... For some reason I can't find much on the FAA website. Thanks.

boeingboy · Post by **boeingboy** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 12:13 pm

That's because it's a Canadian thing......eh!

CanadianEh · Post by **CanadianEh** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 12:36 pm

boeingboy wrote:That's because it's a Canadian thing......eh!

Thanks!

PAJ · Post by **PAJ** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:28 pm

Perhaps self evident, but does that mean you can only fly VFR OTT in Canada?

shitdisturber · Post by **shitdisturber** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:37 pm

KK7 · Post by **KK7** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 6:33 pm

PAJ wrote:Perhaps self evident, but does that mean you can only fly VFR OTT in Canada?

No. You can fly VFR over the top in the US but you do not require a special rating to do so, you simply require a Private Licence.

Note that in the US there is a difference between VFR "ON TOP" and VFR "OVER THE TOP", where the former applies to IFR aircraft, and the latter applies to VFR aircraft.

Colonel Sanders · Post by **Colonel Sanders** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 6:36 pm

this must be a bad week to stop sniffing glue or something ...

People fly VFR on top of an overcast layer all the time in the
USA. When you get close to your destination, call up terminal
and get a vector to the localizer and down you go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_flight_rules

For efficiency of operations, some ATC operations will routinely provide "pop-up" IFR clearances for aircraft operating VFR, but that are arriving at an airport that does not meet VMC requirements. For example, in the United States, California's Oakland (KOAK), Monterey (KMRY) and Santa Ana (KSNA) airports routinely grant temporary IFR clearance when a low coastal overcast forces instrument approaches, while the rest of the state is still under visual flight rules.

You guys are pulling my leg, right?

jump154 · Post by **jump154** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 6:38 am

So the interesting question -- given the differences between US PPL cetificate privileges and Canadian PPL privileges, what is a Canadian flying in the US allowed to do?

Can you fly at night without a Canadian night rating?
Can you fly VFR OTT without a Canadian VFR OTT rating?

for 2 cases -- Canadian flying a Canadian A/C on Canadian license in the US; Canadain flying US A/C on a US certificate, obtained as an equivalent based on the Canadain licence (i.e. not completely stand-alone).

Just consider the legal argument, not the 'safe' argument which has to be only do what you are trained to do and capable of doing.

Colonel Sanders · Post by **Colonel Sanders** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 11:28 am

Are you writing a book?

If you don't screw up, no one will care. If you do screw up, you will be hung out to dry.

This is like me asking, a while back, what regs would be busted if I buzz a cruise ship in international waters.

jump154 · Post by **jump154** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 11:52 am

Not now, but that gives me an idea.....

Nope, just the way my mind works. Drove my primary instructor mad with questions such as "How do I know I am 500 feet clear of cloud without flying up to the cloudbase to see exactly what height it is at right now?"

howard40 · Post by **howard40** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:26 pm

If you are flying in the US ,on a canadian lic , you must follow our rules if they are more restrictive.
so a canadian vfr lic ,without a night rating, flying in the US, is not allowed to fly at night, (nor are they allowed to in Canada.)

VFR over the top in the US is allowed, on a us private lic.
The training for a priv lic in the US is different ,as are the privileges that go with it.

I am much more interested in folks flying "safe" than spending all day trying to figure out a way to beat the book...
fly safe

AirFrame · Post by **AirFrame** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:18 pm

Howard40 is right, but he doesn't explicitly state it so I will: A Canadian pilot flying with a Canadian VFR license without an OTT rating *may not* lawfully fly VFR OTT in the US. Furthermore, if the Canadian pilot gets a US license based on his Canadian license, that pilot *still* is not permitted to fly OTT in the US.

Now, will anyone check? Probably not...

VFR OTT in the U.S.

VFR OTT in the U.S.

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