Visual flight rules

This is generally permitted only under more restrictive conditions, such as maintaining minimum safe altitudes, and may require additional training as a pilot at night may not be able to see and avoid obstacles.

Pilots flying under VFR assume responsibility for their separation from all other aircraft and are generally not assigned routes or altitudes by air traffic control (ATC).

For example, in the United States, California's Oakland (KOAK), Monterey (KMRY) and Santa Ana (KSNA) airports routinely grant temporary IFR clearance when a low coastal overcast forces instrument approaches, while the rest of the state is still under visual flight rules.

SVFR flight is only allowed while within the portion of an airport's controlled airspace (class B, C, or D) that extends to the surface, and it must be explicitly requested by the pilot and granted by the tower (some airports, primarily large Class B facilities, do not allow SVFR operation in their airspace at all).

The pilot is required to maintain VFR separation distances from other aircraft and, by requesting SVFR, asserts that they can do so despite the marginal conditions.

[citation needed][9] In the United States, Canada, and Australia, a pilot operating under VFR outside Class B, C, D airspace can request "flight following" from ATC, to receive continuous verbal updates on air traffic.

The responsibility for maintaining separation with other aircraft and proper navigation still remains with the pilot in command (PIC).

In the United States and Canada, any certified pilot who meets specific recency of experience criteria may operate an airworthy aircraft under VFR.

In this respect, CVFR is similar to instrument flight rules (IFR) in that ATC will give pilots headings and altitudes at which to fly, and will provide separation and conflict resolution.

However, pilots and aircraft do not need to be IFR rated to fly in CVFR areas, which is highly advantageous.