Clouds and Fog

[averyrm]

Ok, lets say you're in class E, and there's ground fog in the area that you're circumnavigating.

At what point is it a cloud you have to keep clear of, and at what point is it 1/4 mile vis. fog?

Interested to hear answers.

[SteveC]

I would think that an aircraft in flight must use the cloud clearance requirement.
1. Fog is, in simple terms, a cloud at ground level.
2. A pilot flying above may not be able to tell if that particular "cloud" reaches ground level or not.
3. I would want to be at least 1000 feet above that "cloud" if a jet takes off from the airport inside the Class E airspace and comes climbing out the top at 3 or 4 thousand feet a minute.


(Answers off the top of my head, subject to modification if someone comes up with actual factual information proving otherwise )


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[TFaudree_ERAU]

I had posted a reply, but deleted after I figured out I was confusing myself.

[FLpilot]

If it's visible moisture then cloud clearance requirements apply. Sure there are thin clouds you can see through, but it is in fact a cloud.

Sorry, no references handy to back up my opinion.

[ColMustard]

Whats the Wx equipment at the airport reporting?

[fish314]

I kind of have the same opinion as Steve C. If it's white and fluffy and you can't see through it, it's a cloud. Even if it's on the ground.

[slushie]

What about on a nice stable- atmosphere morning after a rainshower...when you have those little, ultra-whispy, 12feet-wide low-level clouds that look like they should be at 60,000 feet? You know, you can see 10 miles through them, and you can see all around 'em.... that's "visible moisture", but if I just HAAAPPENED to fly VFR through it and there just HAAAPPENED to be an FAA guy watchin...would it be a no-no?


What about flying through rain? Once again visible moisture, but you can see well through it, you are 500' below the cloud which is emmiting the rain...what now?

[averyrm]

Here's the reason I asked.

I flew into a towered field, calling 1/4 mile while I was enroute. When I got w/in 30 miles they were calling 1.5. When I was 15 miles out, they were calling 10/clear.

On my descent (I went in on a contact approach just to be safe) there was a lot of fog, up to maybe 50' agl over the river just to the right of my approach. I would not have been able to stay 2000' away from it horizontally, even though the field was calling 10/clear.

Made me think, so I wondered what you all felt.

[averyrm]

And by the way, the field was calling 3 miles when I left, and forcast to be 10 miles vis, before people try to jump on me for departing.