Definition
An advisory statement issued by a Flight Service briefer when, in their judgment, current or forecast weather along the proposed route makes Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operation hazardous. The phrase is given when sky conditions, visibility, or other weather factors are at or below VFR minimums, or are expected to deteriorate to that level during the flight. It is an advisory only; the decision to fly remains with the pilot in command.
Plain English
The weather briefer is telling you that the weather is bad enough that flying this trip under visual rules looks unsafe. They are not refusing to brief you and they are not grounding you — they are warning you, and the choice is still yours.
Context Anchor
You may hear this during a preflight weather briefing from Flight Service or see it in weather briefing material before deciding whether to start a VFR flight.
Why Pilots Care
It alerts the pilot to potential instrument meteorological conditions that may require an instrument flight plan or cancellation of the flight.
Intuition Check
Do not read “not recommended” as “not allowed.” It is a serious safety warning, not a legal stop sign; the pilot still has to decide whether the flight is safe and legal.
Example Sentence 1
The briefer ended with “VFR flight not recommended” due to widespread ceilings below 1,000 feet along the route, so I postponed the trip until the next morning.
Example Sentence 2
Even though VFR flight not recommended was issued, the pilot filed an IFR flight plan and departed safely.