How high can you fly as VFR?

In Norway it is FL290. But since SERA came into effect, I’m not sure this is valid anymore, and there are no upper limit. The upper limit was in place because above FL290, the vertical separation was decided to be 1000 ft and the AIP still refer to the old regulations for this.

Edit: had a look at SERA. SERA 5005 d and e determines this. In Norway this means FL290 is the max.

Gliders fly VFR at FL300+ (even in Scotland). There may need to be agreements put in place so they can do it, but they are still VFR.

There is an EU regulation about access to airspace above FL195 to VFR flights. When I needed this, I made prior arrangements with the relevant ATC units. I don’t have an overview of the current state but details are supposed to be in AIPs. AFAIK VFR is somewhere allowed even above FL285 in RVSM airspace (where VFR is generally forbidden) with some arrangements (airspace reservation or something like that).

alioth wrote:

Gliders fly VFR at FL300+ (even in Scotland)

Good point. The record for altitude in Norway is 35k feet for a glider, so it is obviously not forbidden to fly above FL290. Balloons can also fly high, but do they even fly according to some flight rules?

At Friedrichshafen this year, I asked the test pilot of Stemme how high the S12 motor glider could get. He said he got it as high as FL300, and it was obviously VFR.

By the way, the airspace above FL660 is class G in most countries of the world (if not worldwide).

FL660+ is class G in BE too, ISTR. But I think few of us mere mortals will ever fly that high.

Regarding gliders: here in BE they have restricted areas where they can go quite high VFR, but these are not always active. Must be in the AIP somewhere.

Regarding balloons: they do observe certain rules, here. I have heard one being assigned a squawk code when entering a CTR – sounded funny, somehow.

LeSving wrote:

Good point. The record for altitude in Norway is 35k feet for a glider, so it is obviously not forbidden to fly above FL290. Balloons can also fly high, but do they even fly according to some flight rules?

They follow the same rules as everyone else! SERA applies to balloons just as it applies to gliders.

To answer the specific question VFR in Germany above FL195 is subject to prior authorisation from the Bundesaufsichtamt für Flugsicherung. The exact English correspondent escapes me – Federal ATC Overseer is as close as I get. Doesn’t sound like “just ask over the radio”.

Remains to be seen whether the authorisation is a one-off or can be issued for an extended period.

Peter, was this homebuilt flying enroute from A to B, or was it a local flight?
In The Netherlands you can fly really high VFR in Class B or C, but you need to arrange it.
It is done sometimes, i.e. for testing purposes. Usually they’ll assign you a block of airspace.