Definition
Weather conditions in which a pilot has sufficient visibility and cloud clearance to fly the airplane by outside visual reference, meeting or exceeding the minimums prescribed for visual flight rules (VFR) operations.
Plain English
The weather is good enough to fly by looking outside, with enough visibility and distance from clouds to legally fly under visual flight rules.
Context Anchor
Seen in multiengine training, engine-failure discussions, and on the airspeed indicator as the red radial line.
Derivation
From 'visual' (relating to sight), 'meteorological' (relating to weather, from Greek 'meteoron' meaning 'thing high up'), and 'conditions' (the state of the environment). Together: weather conditions good enough to fly by sight.
Why Pilots Care
Determines whether visual flight rules apply and directly affects flight planning, route selection, and safety margins.
Grounding Statement
VMC is about whether the pilot can still keep the airplane pointed and controlled after one engine fails, not whether the airplane can climb.
Intuition Check
Do not confuse this VMC with “visual meteorological conditions.” In this AFH multiengine context, VMC means minimum control speed, not weather good enough for visual flight.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot checked the weather and confirmed VMC existed along the entire route, so she filed a VFR flight plan.
Example Sentence 2
In VMC the crew maintained visual contact with the ground while practicing steep turns.