Definition
The minimum distances a pilot operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) must maintain from clouds, along with the minimum flight visibility, as specified in 14 CFR 91.155. The required distances and visibility vary based on altitude, airspace class, and whether the flight is conducted during day or night.
Plain English
Rules that tell a VFR pilot how far they must stay away from clouds and how much visibility they need to have. The exact numbers depend on where you are flying and how high.
Context Anchor
Seen when discussing VFR-on-top operations, weather minimums, and whether a pilot may legally remain in visual conditions above or between cloud layers.
Derivation
VFR stands for visual flight rules. Clearance comes from the idea of being clear of something, meaning separated from it or not touching it. In this term, clearance means distance from clouds, not permission from air traffic control.
Why Pilots Care
Keeps the flight legal under VFR while on top and prevents inadvertent entry into IMC or loss of required visual reference.
Intuition Check
Do not read “clearance” here as only an air traffic control permission. In “cloud clearance,” it means the required separation distance from clouds.
Example Sentence 1
Before climbing on top, the pilot confirmed they could maintain the VFR cloud clearance requirements for the airspace they would be operating in.
Example Sentence 2
In Class E airspace the VFR cloud clearance requirements allowed the flight to continue above the overcast.