Plain English Meaning

Flying VFR above a layer of clouds or haze, with clear sky around the aircraft, while still meeting all the normal VFR distance-from-clouds and visibility rules. The layer is below you, not around you.

Full Definition

An operation in which a pilot flying under Visual Flight Rules cruises above a cloud, haze, smoke, or other obscuring layer while maintaining the cloud clearances and flight visibility required for VFR flight. The pilot must be able to climb, cruise, and descend in VFR conditions and remain clear of clouds at all times. VFR Over-The-Top is not the same as VFR-on-Top, which is an .