Respecting the FAA's cloud clearance requirements in our VFR flying helps us to see and avoid other aircraft and other flying objects, such as birds and now UAVs. It takes a lot of practice to be able to remember all of the different VFR cloud clearance, ceiling, and visibility limits in FAR 91.155. And practice we must. But, in a pinch, one set of three minimums can keep pilots of fixed wing aircraft in compliance with the FAA regulation when flying below 10,000 feet MSL: visibility of at least 3 statute miles; cloud clearance of at least 1,000 feet above, 500 feet below, and 2,000 feet horizontally (152); and a ceiling of at least 1,000 feet above the surface.
