Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

4 Answers

Layman’s terms for FAR 91.181

Asked by: 5374 views ,
FAA Regulations

Can anyone please explain  FAR 91.181 in layman's terms.  I have read it a few times and asked another instrument pilot friend and neither one of us understand it.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

4 Answers



  1. Wes Beard on Oct 09, 2013

    The regulation states you must stay on the centerline of the airway or route you have been cleared to fly.

    If VFR clearing turns are authorized to clear the area in front of you. In some airplanes the nose is too high and the pilot cannot see in front of the airplane without moving the nose from side to side.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Mark Kolber on Oct 10, 2013

    Yep. What Wes said is pretty much it. All the reg says is that if you are given a course, airway or route to fly, you are supposed to stay on it and not meander around. With an obvious exception – as needed to avoid traffic.

    Some of the confusion may be the result of the protected airway airspace – 4 NN each side of center line. Some people think that means the airway is 8NM wide and you can move left and right at will. The 8NM takes into account the limitations of VOR navigation, including the permitted tolerances of our on-board equipment. You, as the pilot are supposed to stay centered to the extent your equipment capabilities permit it.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. Kris Kortokrax on Oct 10, 2013

    As with most everything, there is an exception.

    91.703 requires compliance with ICAO Annex 2 when over the high seas. ICAO Annex 2 has language similar to 91.181, however Annex 2 does allow for Strategic Lateral Offset Procecures (SLOP). Pilots are encouraged to offset 1 or 2 miles to the right of course for collision avoidance and wake turbulence avoidance.

    SLOP is described in Advisory Circular 91-70A.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Tom Bartholomew on Oct 10, 2013

    Thank you for the clarification on this reg. It is very clear now.

    Do you three know each other? Funny that you are the exact three that responded to my last post. LOL!

    Great minds think alike!

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.