FAA VFR preflight checklist covering pilot and aircraft documents, regulations, inspections, weather, NOTAMs, fuel and performance.
Before a VFR flight, an FAA private pilot should verify personal authority and currency, the aircraft’s legal and airworthy status, and the flight-specific information required by 14 CFR 91.103. Check certificates, medical qualification, inspections, operating limitations, weather, NOTAMs, TFRs, fuel, loading, performance, airspace and runway data.
In our Aviation & Real-World Flying coverage, we separate this into three questions: may the pilot fly, may the aircraft fly, and is this particular flight legal and sensible? Having the documents aboard answers only part of the second question.
Core FAA regulations for a VFR preflight
The applicable rules depend on the aircraft, equipment, route, airspace and whether passengers are carried, but these are the main Part 61 and Part 91 provisions to review.
| FAA regulation | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 14 CFR 61.3 and 61.23 | Pilot certificate, photo identification and medical qualification |
| 14 CFR 61.31, 61.56 and 61.57 | Required endorsements, flight review and passenger-carrying currency |
| 14 CFR 91.3, 91.7 and 91.9 | PIC responsibility, aircraft airworthiness and operating limitations |
| 14 CFR 91.103 | Required preflight information |
| 14 CFR 91.151 and 91.155 | VFR fuel reserves, visibility and cloud clearances |
| 14 CFR 91.203, 91.205, 91.207 and 91.213 | Aircraft certificates, required equipment, ELT and inoperative equipment |
| 14 CFR 91.215, 91.225 and 91.227 | Transponder and ADS-B requirements |
| 14 CFR 91.409, 91.413 and Part 39 | Inspections, transponder tests and Airworthiness Directives |
Minimum safe altitudes, airport operations and controlled-airspace procedures also matter along the route. These appear principally in 14 CFR 91.119 and 91.126 through 91.131.
Which pilot documents must be carried and current?
The pilot must carry the credentials required for the privileges being exercised and separately verify currency, ratings, endorsements and limitations.
- Pilot certificate: Carry an FAA pilot certificate or other valid temporary authority. Its category, class and any required type rating must cover the aircraft, and all printed limitations still apply.
- Photo identification: Carry an acceptable government-issued photo ID as required by 14 CFR 61.3.
- Medical qualification: Carry a valid medical certificate when 14 CFR 61.23 requires one. A pilot using BasicMed instead carries a valid driving licence, must keep the required medical-examination checklist and course-completion record, and must ensure that the pilot, aircraft and operation remain within BasicMed limits.
- Flight review: Confirm completion of a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months, unless an accepted substitute under 14 CFR 61.56 applies.
- Passenger currency: Carrying passengers normally requires three take-offs and landings within the preceding 90 days in the appropriate category, class and type when required. Tailwheel and night passenger operations add full-stop landing requirements. This 90-day rule is not required for a solo flight.
- Aircraft endorsements: Verify any required complex, high-performance, tailwheel, high-altitude or other endorsement. These are usually recorded in the pilot’s logbook rather than carried as separate cockpit documents.
A private pilot normally does not have to carry the entire logbook. The records must nevertheless support the privileges being exercised and be available when the FAA is entitled to inspect them.
Which aircraft documents and records should be checked?
The aircraft needs valid onboard certificates and operating information, while its maintenance records must establish that it conforms to its approved design and is in a condition for safe operation.
The familiar AROW memory aid is useful, but it is not a literal list of five universally required FAA documents:
| Item | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Airworthiness | A valid airworthiness certificate is aboard and displayed at the cabin or cockpit entrance so it is legible to passengers or crew. |
| Registration | A valid aircraft registration certificate or permitted temporary authority is aboard. |
| Radio station licence | This is not normally an FAA requirement for a domestic US flight. International operations may require an FCC aircraft station licence and operator authority. |
| Operating limitations | The applicable approved flight manual material, supplements, markings and placards are present and usable. |
| Weight and balance | Approved empty-weight, centre-of-gravity and equipment data reflect the aircraft after alterations or equipment changes. The data may be incorporated into the manual or associated aircraft records rather than existing as one loose sheet. |
A commercially printed POH is not automatically approved in every respect. Identify the aircraft-specific approved sections, supplements and placards; our explanation of how a Cessna POH supplies limitations, procedures and performance data shows how these documents fit together.
Do not put the aircraft logbooks in the cockpit merely to satisfy a preflight check. Review the logs, an accurate inspection-status sheet or maintenance control records to confirm:
- The annual inspection was completed within the preceding 12 calendar months.
- A 100-hour inspection is current when the operation falls under that rule. Renting an aircraft for a personal flight does not by itself create a 100-hour requirement.
- Applicable Airworthiness Directives, life limits and recurring inspection requirements have been complied with.
- The ELT inspection and battery limits are valid when an ELT is required.
- The transponder inspection is current when the equipment will be used, and transponder or ADS-B equipment is installed and operating where the planned airspace requires it.
- Known discrepancies have been corrected or properly dealt with under 14 CFR 91.213. A pilot cannot make any fault legal simply by attaching an “INOP” label.
Check the aircraft’s type-certification equipment requirements, approved equipment list, 14 CFR 91.205, operating rules and Airworthiness Directives before deferring an item. A VOR operational check under 14 CFR 91.171 and an altimeter/static-system inspection under 91.411 are IFR requirements, not ordinary VFR requirements; the transponder inspection can still apply on a VFR flight.
What preflight information does 14 CFR 91.103 require?
Section 91.103 makes the pilot in command responsible for becoming familiar with all available information concerning the flight, not merely obtaining a weather briefing.
For flights away from the airport’s vicinity, the regulation specifically identifies weather, fuel, alternatives and known ATC delays. For every flight, it requires runway lengths and appropriate take-off and landing performance information.
- Weather: Check observations, forecasts, winds, visibility, ceilings, convective activity, icing risk and trends for the departure, route, destination and realistic alternatives. Compare them with the FAA VFR visibility and cloud-clearance requirements and with stricter personal minima where appropriate.
- NOTAMs and TFRs: Review departure, destination and route NOTAMs, including runway closures, lighting outages, navigation changes and temporary airspace restrictions. TFRs can be issued or amended with little notice, so use a proper briefing source and follow our process for checking authoritative TFR information before departure.
- Route and airspace: Use current aeronautical data to identify controlled and special-use airspace, terrain, obstacles, minimum safe altitudes, communication requirements and equipment mandates.
- Airports and runways: Confirm runway lengths, surfaces, slope, closures, traffic patterns, frequencies, lighting, services and known ATC delays. Do not assume that a runway shown on an older chart remains available.
- Fuel and alternatives: Calculate fuel using forecast wind and realistic consumption. Under 14 CFR 91.151, an aeroplane must have enough fuel to reach the first intended landing point and then fly at normal cruising speed for at least 30 minutes by day or 45 minutes at night. Those are legal minima, not generous planning targets.
- Loading and performance: Calculate actual take-off weight, landing weight and centre of gravity. Use approved data for pressure altitude, temperature, wind, runway condition and slope, then account for obstacles and a sensible safety margin.
A briefing can consolidate much of this material; our guide to the weather, NOTAM and flight-planning information available through Flight Service explains what it can provide. The PIC still has to interpret that information and make the go/no-go decision.
Do I need paper charts, a VFR flight plan or maintenance logs?
No general rule requires a private pilot on an ordinary domestic Part 91 VFR flight to carry a paper sectional, file a VFR flight plan or put the aircraft’s maintenance logbooks aboard.
Current chart and airport information is still the practical way to meet 14 CFR 91.103 and comply with airspace rules. Electronic charts are suitable for Part 91 use when the necessary data are downloaded, readable and available throughout the flight; loss of battery power, overheating or a failed mount should not leave the pilot without essential information.
A filed VFR flight plan supports search-and-rescue services, but it is not an ATC clearance and does not authorise entry into controlled or restricted airspace. Required aircraft certificates and operating information belong aboard; maintenance logbooks are normally kept securely on the ground after their status has been checked.