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Process for Requesting Climb to VFR on Top

Asked by: 2895 views Airspace, Instrument Rating

How would you request an IFR climb above a fog/cloud layer to VFR conditions upon taking off? How would you fill out the IFR flight plan? When and how would you communicate with the various ATC (ground/clearance, TRACON)?

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1 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Nov 04, 2017

    First, let’s make sure we are on the same page: “VFR on top,” the IFR clearance, not “VFR over the top,” a VFR procedure.

    The basic process with ATC is to simply “request climb to VFR on top.” I’d add the altitude I expected to find those conditions. ATC, if clearing you, will ask you to confirm when on top and then to maintain VFR on top. They may issue restrictions, such as to report if not on top by a certain altitude and what to do then.

    Im sure others have a different take, but personally, from a filing standpoint, I would just file for an altitude I expected to be on top. You could add an on top request to the comments.

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