Definition
The minimum weather conditions — specifically flight visibility and distance from clouds — that a pilot must have in order to legally operate an aircraft under Visual Flight Rules. The exact values depend on airspace class, altitude, and time of day, and are set by regulation (14 CFR 91.155).
Plain English
The lowest visibility and cloud-clearance limits the rules allow before you can no longer fly by looking outside. If conditions drop below these numbers, you can't legally fly VFR.
Context Anchor
You encounter this term when checking weather before a flight, especially before a night flight, and when deciding whether conditions are good enough to fly by outside visual references.
Derivation
VFR stands for Visual Flight Rules — the set of rules for flying by outside visual reference. 'Minimums' simply means the lowest acceptable values. Together: the lowest conditions under which visual flight is legally allowed.
Why Pilots Care
Meeting VFR minimums ensures the pilot retains enough visual reference to navigate and avoid terrain or other aircraft without instruments.
Intuition Check
Do not read “minimums” as “good enough to be comfortable.” In aviation, minimums are legal lower limits; safe personal limits may need to be higher, especially at night.
Example Sentence 1
The forecast showed visibility dropping to two miles, which is below VFR minimums for that airspace, so the pilot delayed the flight.
Example Sentence 2
At night the pilot noted that VFR minimums in the area required greater visibility than during the day.