Set your own ceiling, visibility, wind, and performance numbers — on the ground, before the pressure to fly shows up. Fill it in, it saves in your browser, and it prints cleanly for your kneeboard.
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Personal minimums are your own pre-set weather, wind, and performance numbers — decided calmly on the ground, set above the legal minimums and below the aircraft's demonstrated values — that turn a fuzzy "should I go?" into a number you either meet or don't. The worksheet below follows the FAA's personal minimums development approach: start from your experience, set the numbers, then subtract margin when today's flight carries extra risk factors.
Your minimums should reflect who you are as a pilot today, not who you were at your checkride.
Set night numbers higher than day. The IFR column is for instrument-rated, instrument-current pilots — leave it blank otherwise.
| Minimum | Day VFR | Night VFR | IFR (approach) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceiling (ft) | |||
| Visibility (sm) | |||
| Crosswind (kt) | |||
| Total wind / gust (kt) |
Not sure where your crosswind number should sit? Run today's wind through the crosswind calculator and compare it against what you have actually practiced recently.
The FAA-suggested starting factor is 1.5 × the POH figure
Beyond the legal 30 min day / 45 min night (14 CFR 91.151)
Check today's number with the density altitude calculator
When any of these apply to today's flight, tighten the numbers above (for example: add 500 ft of ceiling, 1 sm of visibility, subtract 5 kt of wind). Never loosen them on the day of the flight.
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Every marginal-weather accident report reads the same way in hindsight: the pilot made the go decision at the airport, with passengers loaded, a schedule slipping, and the weather "probably good enough." Under that kind of pressure, human judgment reliably bends toward go. Personal minimums move the decision to a moment when nothing is at stake — your kitchen table, months in advance. On the day of the flight the question stops being "do I feel okay about this?" and becomes "is the ceiling above my number or not?" A number cannot be negotiated with by a disappointed passenger.
They also close the gap between what is legal and what is smart for you. Basic VFR minimums make no promise that a 1,200-ft ceiling and 3 miles of haze are flyable by a 90-hour private pilot who hasn't flown in six weeks. Your worksheet numbers should sit well above the regulatory floor and below the airplane's demonstrated capability, at the level of your actual recent proficiency.
Personal minimums are a living document, not a plaque. Review the worksheet every 6 to 12 months, and re-open it whenever something material changes: a flight review or new rating, a new aircraft type, a move to different terrain or weather patterns, or a flight that genuinely scared you. When conditions on a given day carry the extra risk factors in Section 4, tighten the numbers for that flight — decide the specific adjustment (say, +500 ft of ceiling, +1 sm of visibility, −5 kt of wind) before you look at the forecast, not after.
The governing habit is "raise slowly, lower quickly." Loosen a minimum only in small increments, each backed by recent deliberate practice — a few dual crosswind sessions before your crosswind number goes from 8 to 10 knots. But tighten immediately and without ceremony the moment you lose currency, change aircraft, or notice your comfort eroding. Minimums that only ever ratchet looser are not minimums; they are a record of luck.
For the decision process these numbers plug into, read the go/no-go decision framework. For a deeper treatment of setting and keeping honest minimums, see the full personal minimums guide.
Common QuestionsYour own pre-set numbers — ceiling, visibility, wind, runway performance, fuel reserve — below which you will not fly, decided calmly on the ground rather than under pressure at the airport. They sit above the legal minimums and below the aircraft's demonstrated capability, at the level where you are genuinely comfortable and proficient.
Legal minimums — basic VFR weather minimums, IFR approach minima, the fuel reserves in 14 CFR 91.151 and 91.167 — are the floor for everyone and assume nothing about your recency or experience. Personal minimums are stricter numbers you set for yourself that account for your actual proficiency, your aircraft, and your typical missions. Flying at legal minimums is legal; whether it is smart depends on the pilot — that gap is exactly what personal minimums manage.
Review them every 6 to 12 months, after a flight review or new rating, after moving to a new aircraft or region, and after any flight that scared you. Follow the raise-slowly, lower-quickly rule: loosen a minimum only in small steps backed by recent deliberate practice, but tighten it immediately when you lose currency or comfort.
A common starting point: day-VFR ceilings around 3,000 ft and visibility around 5 statute miles, crosswinds near half the aircraft's demonstrated component, night minimums noticeably higher than day, runway at least 1.5 × the POH takeoff or landing distance, and an hour of fuel on landing. There is no official table — pick numbers that feel conservative today and earn your way down with experience.
Where the numbers come from, how to keep them honest, and how to say no gracefully.
Turn today's wind into a component you can compare against your Section 2 number.
Check today's density altitude against your Section 3 maximum.
FlightDecide compares the actual forecast for your flight window against risk thresholds across eight categories — winds, ceilings, visibility, NOTAMs, fuel, performance, and W&B — and gives you a GO / CAUTION / NO GO advisory you can verify against the raw data.
Get FlightDecide on the App StoreEducational worksheet for flight-planning practice. It is advisory only and not a substitute for your POH, an official weather briefing, or your own judgment as pilot in command (14 CFR 91.3). Sources: FAA Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A); FAA Personal Minimums Worksheet and "Getting the Maximum from Personal Minimums" (FAA Safety Briefing). Last reviewed: July 17, 2026.