[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":423},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Fvfr-equipment-requirements":3,"learn-nav-\u002Flearn\u002Fvfr-equipment-requirements":391},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":323,"dateModified":324,"description":325,"draft":326,"extension":327,"faqs":328,"howTo":324,"keyTakeaways":338,"meta":344,"metaDescription":345,"navigation":346,"path":347,"quiz":348,"seo":374,"series":324,"seriesOrder":324,"sources":375,"stem":388,"topic":389,"__hash__":390},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fvfr-equipment-requirements.md","VFR equipment requirements",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":310},"minimark",[9,21,27,32,47,63,67,81,84,88,101,112,116,133,148,152,155,162,169,176,180,205,232,236,239,246,252,259,263,303,307],[10,11,12,13,20],"p",{},"\"What do I actually need on board to fly this legally?\" is one of the first questions a student asks, and the honest answer is that it depends on two things at once: what kind of operation you are conducting, and where you are flying. A ",[14,15,19],"a",{"href":16,"className":17},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-vfr",[18],"glossary-link","VFR"," day flight, a VFR night flight and a flight into transponder airspace each pull in a different list, and the FAA and EASA build those lists in noticeably different ways. Getting them straight is the difference between a legal dispatch and a snag you find on the ramp.",[22,23,24],"blockquote",{},[10,25,26],{},"This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.",[28,29,31],"h2",{"id":30},"two-questions-not-one","Two questions, not one",[10,33,34,35,40,41,46],{},"The equipment a flight needs is driven first by the operation. Day VFR asks for one list; night VFR adds to it; instrument flight adds more again. On top of that sits a separate layer that does not care whether you are day or night, VFR or ",[14,36,39],{"href":37,"className":38},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-ifr",[18],"IFR",": the surveillance equipment (transponder and, increasingly, ",[14,42,45],{"href":43,"className":44},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-ads-b",[18],"ADS-B",") that the airspace demands. Keep those two axes apart in your head, the operation and the airspace, and the rules stop feeling like a jumble.",[10,48,49,50,56,57,62],{},"Under the FAA the operation-driven lists live in ",[14,51,55],{"href":52,"rel":53},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-F\u002Fpart-91\u002Fsubpart-C\u002Fsection-91.205",[54],"nofollow","14 CFR 91.205",", which applies to a powered civil aircraft with a standard category US airworthiness certificate and sets out, paragraph by paragraph, the equipment for VFR day, VFR night and IFR. Under EASA the same ground is covered by the instrument-and-equipment rules of Part-NCO (the rules for non-commercial operations with other-than-complex motor-powered aircraft), in the ",[14,58,61],{"href":59,"rel":60},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.easa.europa.eu\u002Fen\u002Fdocument-library\u002Feasy-access-rules\u002Feasy-access-rules-air-operations",[54],"Easy Access Rules for Air Operations",". The two arrive at broadly similar aeroplanes but list them differently, which is exactly where cross-system confusion creeps in.",[28,64,66],{"id":65},"the-faa-day-vfr-list","The FAA day VFR list",[10,68,69,70,74,75,80],{},"For day VFR, ",[14,71,73],{"href":52,"rel":72},[54],"14 CFR 91.205(b)"," enumerates the required instruments and equipment. In the order the rule gives them, taking the aeroplane items: an airspeed indicator; an altimeter; a magnetic direction indicator; a tachometer for each engine; an oil pressure gauge for each engine using a pressure system; a temperature gauge for each liquid-cooled engine; an oil temperature gauge for each air-cooled engine; a manifold pressure gauge for each altitude engine; a fuel gauge showing the quantity in each tank; a landing-gear position indicator if the aircraft has retractable gear; for small aeroplanes certificated after 11 March 1996 an approved anticollision light system; approved flotation gear and a signalling device if operated for hire over water beyond power-off gliding distance from shore; an approved safety belt for each occupant 2 years of age or older; an approved shoulder harness for the applicable seats; and an emergency locator transmitter where ",[14,76,79],{"href":77,"rel":78},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-F\u002Fpart-91\u002Fsubpart-C\u002Fsection-91.207",[54],"14 CFR 91.207"," requires one. Generations of American students memorise this by the mnemonic \"A TOMATO FLAMES\", which is a study aid, not a substitute for reading the rule.",[10,82,83],{},"Two details reward care. The anticollision-light item in the day list carries the date \"11 March 1996\" and applies only to certain small aeroplanes; do not confuse that date with the different one that governs the night anticollision requirement below. And the flotation gear is conditional, triggered by operating for hire over water, not a blanket requirement.",[28,85,87],{"id":86},"what-night-adds-under-the-faa","What night adds under the FAA",[10,89,90,91,95,96,100],{},"Night VFR does not replace the day list; it builds on it. ",[14,92,94],{"href":52,"rel":93},[54],"14 CFR 91.205(c)"," requires everything in paragraph (b) plus: approved position lights; an approved aviation red or aviation white anticollision light system on all US-registered civil aircraft (with a date caveat of ",[97,98,99],"strong",{},"11 August 1971"," for older type certificates, a different date from the day rule's 1996); \"if the aircraft is operated for hire, one electric landing light\"; an adequate source of electrical energy for all installed electrical and radio equipment; and one spare set of fuses, or three spare fuses of each kind required, accessible to the pilot in flight. The American memory hook here is \"FLAPS\".",[10,102,103,104,107,108,111],{},"The landing-light qualifier is the classic trap. The FAA requires a landing light for night VFR ",[97,105,106],{},"only if the aircraft is operated for hire","; a privately operated aeroplane is not obliged by 91.205(c) to carry one, however sensible it is to have it. And note what the FAA does ",[97,109,110],{},"not"," demand for night VFR: no attitude indicator, no turn-and-slip, no vertical speed indicator. The attitude indicator and turn-and-slip are instrument-flight items, sitting in 91.205(d), not night-VFR ones; the vertical speed indicator the FAA does not require even for Part 91 IFR, while EASA requires one for night VFR. That absence is the single biggest contrast with EASA.",[28,113,115],{"id":114},"the-easa-equivalent-part-nco","The EASA equivalent: Part-NCO",[10,117,118,119,122,123,126,127,132],{},"EASA structures the same ground around function rather than a single list. The flight and navigation instruments live in ",[97,120,121],{},"NCO.IDE.A.120",", \"Operations under VFR\". By ",[97,124,125],{},"day",", it requires a means of measuring and displaying magnetic heading; time in hours, minutes and seconds; barometric altitude; indicated airspeed; and ",[14,128,131],{"href":129,"className":130},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-mach-number",[18],"Mach number"," wherever speed limits are expressed in Mach. Note the clock: EASA requires a time display for day VFR, which the FAA's day list does not.",[10,134,135,136,139,140,143,144,147],{},"For ",[97,137,138],{},"night",", NCO.IDE.A.120 adds a genuinely heavier fit: a means of measuring and displaying turn and slip, attitude, vertical speed and a stabilised heading, plus a means of indicating when the supply to the gyroscopic instruments is failing. In other words, EASA treats night VFR as needing the core instrument-flying panel, on the reasoning that a dark night can rob you of the horizon. Lights come under a separate rule, ",[97,141,142],{},"NCO.IDE.A.115"," (\"Operating lights\"), which requires aeroplanes operated at night to carry an anticollision light system, position\u002Fnavigation lights, a landing light, instrument and cockpit lighting, cabin lighting and a portable light at each crew station. The emergency locator transmitter sits in ",[97,145,146],{},"NCO.IDE.A.170",". Because Part-NCO leans on airworthiness certification for the engine instruments the FAA lists explicitly, do not try to map the two lists item-for-item; compare them by outcome, not line by line.",[28,149,151],{"id":150},"where-easa-and-the-faa-genuinely-differ","Where EASA and the FAA genuinely differ",[10,153,154],{},"Three divergences are worth stating plainly, because each can catch a pilot moving between systems.",[10,156,157,158,161],{},"First, ",[97,159,160],{},"night instruments",". EASA night VFR requires the core instrument-flying panel, attitude, turn-and-slip, vertical speed and a stabilised heading; FAA night VFR does not require any of them (the attitude, turn-and-slip and stabilised heading are FAA IFR items, and the vertical speed indicator is not an FAA requirement even for IFR). EASA's night VFR aeroplane is, in panel terms, closer to an instrument aeroplane.",[10,163,164,165,168],{},"Second, the ",[97,166,167],{},"landing light",". EASA requires a landing light for all night operations under NCO.IDE.A.115; the FAA requires one for night VFR only when the aircraft is operated for hire. Same piece of equipment, opposite defaults.",[10,170,171,172,175],{},"Third, the ",[97,173,174],{},"day clock",". EASA requires a means of displaying time for day VFR; the FAA's day list does not include a clock (it appears in the FAA's IFR list). A small thing, but a real difference in the letter of the rule.",[28,177,179],{"id":178},"the-transponder-is-its-own-layer","The transponder is its own layer",[10,181,182,183,188,189,194,195,199,200,204],{},"Surveillance equipment is not part of the VFR instrument lists at all; it is triggered by airspace, and it applies whether you are VFR or IFR. Under the FAA, ",[14,184,187],{"href":185,"rel":186},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-F\u002Fpart-91\u002Fsubpart-C\u002Fsection-91.215",[54],"14 CFR 91.215"," requires an operable Mode C (altitude-reporting) transponder in Class A, B and C airspace; within the 30-nautical-mile \"Mode C veil\" around a Class B primary airport up to 10,000 ft MSL; above the ceiling and within the lateral boundaries of Class B or C up to 10,000 ft MSL; and generally at and above 10,000 ft MSL, excluding airspace at and below 2,500 ft above the surface. ",[14,190,193],{"href":191,"rel":192},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-F\u002Fpart-91\u002Fsubpart-C\u002Fsection-91.225",[54],"14 CFR 91.225"," then layers ADS-B Out over broadly the same airspace, though not identically: its 10,000-ft item covers Class E only, so some Class G at and above 10,000 ft needs a transponder but not ADS-B, and it adds one block the transponder rule does not, Class E over the Gulf of Mexico at and above 3,000 ft MSL within 12 NM of the US coastline. The mechanics of what these systems send are covered in our guides to ",[14,196,198],{"href":197},"\u002Flearn\u002Fsquawk-codes-and-transponders","squawk codes and transponders"," and ",[14,201,203],{"href":202},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmode-s-and-ads-b-explained","Mode S and ADS-B",".",[10,206,207,208,211,212,217,218,221,222,227,228,204],{},"Under EASA the carriage rule is short and airspace-conditional: ",[97,209,210],{},"NCO.IDE.A.200"," requires an aeroplane to be equipped with a secondary surveillance radar transponder \"where required by the airspace being flown\", with all the required capabilities. Separately, ",[14,213,216],{"href":214,"rel":215},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.easa.europa.eu\u002Fen\u002Fdocument-library\u002Feasy-access-rules\u002Feasy-access-rules-standardised-european-rules-air-sera",[54],"SERA.13001"," says that if you carry a serviceable transponder you must operate it throughout the flight, inside or outside SSR airspace, so a fitted transponder is not something you switch off to stay quiet. In the UK, which retains Part-NCO and SERA, the practical VFR trigger is often a ",[97,219,220],{},"transponder mandatory zone",": enter one and the default requirement is to carry and operate a ",[14,223,226],{"href":224,"className":225},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-mode-s",[18],"Mode S"," transponder, whatever the day or night lists say, unless you comply with alternative provisions agreed with the controlling authority (for example prior ATC permission or promulgated arrangements). The common thread across all three systems is that the transponder is an airspace duty layered on top of the operation's equipment, and it belongs on your planning checklist as its own question, alongside the ",[14,229,231],{"href":230},"\u002Flearn\u002Fdocuments-you-must-carry","documents you must carry",[28,233,235],{"id":234},"a-worked-example","A worked example",[10,237,238],{},"You plan a private VFR flight in a fixed-gear single with a standard airworthiness certificate, from a rural strip toward a city, and you may not get back until after dark.",[10,240,241,242,245],{},"For the ",[97,243,244],{},"day leg",", you check the 91.205(b) list: airspeed, altimeter, magnetic compass, tachometer, oil pressure and temperature, fuel gauges, seat belts, ELT, all present; no retractable-gear indicator needed. Legal for day VFR.",[10,247,248,249,251],{},"Because you might return at ",[97,250,138],{},", you add the 91.205(c) items: position lights and an anticollision light system fitted, an adequate electrical source, and a spare set of fuses in the glovebox. You are flying privately, so the \"for hire\" landing light is not required, though yours works and you will use it. Under an EASA registration the same night return would demand more, the night instrument fit and a mandatory landing light, so if this were an EASA aeroplane you would confirm the attitude, turn-and-slip, vertical speed and stabilised heading instruments and the gyro-power warning before committing to a night arrival.",[10,253,254,255,258],{},"Finally the ",[97,256,257],{},"airspace"," question, independent of all that: your route skirts the 30-nautical-mile Mode C veil around the city's Class B airport, so under 91.215 you confirm your Mode C transponder is operable and, under 91.225, that your ADS-B Out is working, before you go anywhere near it. Day list, night additions, transponder layer: three separate checks, all satisfied, and only then is the aircraft legally equipped for the flight you actually intend.",[28,260,262],{"id":261},"common-pitfalls","Common pitfalls",[264,265,266,273,279,285,291,297],"ul",{},[267,268,269,272],"li",{},[97,270,271],{},"Confusing the two anticollision dates."," The day rule's 11 March 1996 and the night rule's 11 August 1971 are different provisions; do not swap them.",[267,274,275,278],{},[97,276,277],{},"Assuming a night landing light is always required."," Under the FAA it is required for night VFR only when operated for hire; under EASA it is required for all night operations.",[267,280,281,284],{},[97,282,283],{},"Expecting FAA night VFR to need the instrument panel."," It does not; the attitude and turn-and-slip instruments are FAA IFR items, and the FAA does not require a vertical speed indicator even for IFR. EASA night VFR does require all of them.",[267,286,287,290],{},[97,288,289],{},"Folding the transponder into the VFR list."," Transponder and ADS-B carriage is airspace-driven under separate rules (91.215, 91.225, NCO.IDE.A.200), not part of 91.205.",[267,292,293,296],{},[97,294,295],{},"Mapping the FAA and EASA lists line by line."," They are structured differently; compare them by outcome, and check both against the current rule.",[267,298,299,302],{},[97,300,301],{},"Forgetting the UK triggers its own zones."," A UK transponder mandatory zone requires Mode S carriage and operation by default, unless you comply with alternative provisions agreed with the controlling authority, regardless of the day or night equipment list.",[28,304,306],{"id":305},"in-pilot-efb","In Pilot EFB",[10,308,309],{},"Pilot EFB is a study and planning companion for the equipment question: a place to keep the day and night VFR lists and the airspace triggers straight while you plan, alongside the rest of your briefing in one offline-first place. It does not inspect your aircraft, certify that a particular fit is legal, or decide whether you are equipped for the flight; that verdict rests with you, the aircraft's documents and a maintenance release, checked against the current rule for your registration and operation. Pilot EFB is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag, so treat it as a study and planning aid and confirm the required equipment from your official source of record before you fly.",{"title":311,"searchDepth":312,"depth":312,"links":313},"",2,[314,315,316,317,318,319,320,321,322],{"id":30,"depth":312,"text":31},{"id":65,"depth":312,"text":66},{"id":86,"depth":312,"text":87},{"id":114,"depth":312,"text":115},{"id":150,"depth":312,"text":151},{"id":178,"depth":312,"text":179},{"id":234,"depth":312,"text":235},{"id":261,"depth":312,"text":262},{"id":305,"depth":312,"text":306},"2026-06-25",null,"What instruments and equipment a VFR flight needs by day and by night, the FAA's 91.205 lists against EASA's Part-NCO, plus the transponder as its own layer.",false,"md",[329,332,335],{"q":330,"a":331},"What instruments does day VFR require?","Under the FAA, 14 CFR 91.205(b) lists them for a powered civil aircraft with a standard airworthiness certificate, including an airspeed indicator, altimeter, magnetic direction indicator, a tachometer for each engine, oil pressure and temperature gauges as applicable, a manifold pressure gauge for an altitude engine, a fuel gauge for each tank, a landing-gear position indicator if retractable, an anticollision light system on certain aeroplanes, seat belts, and an ELT where required. EASA's Part-NCO reaches a similar result differently, requiring means to display magnetic heading, time, barometric altitude, indicated airspeed and Mach number where relevant, with airworthiness certification covering the engine instruments.",{"q":333,"a":334},"What extra equipment does night VFR need?","It differs sharply by authority. Under the FAA, 14 CFR 91.205(c) adds to the day list approved position lights, an anticollision light system, a landing light only if the aircraft is operated for hire, an adequate source of electrical energy, and spare fuses. EASA's Part-NCO is more demanding: on top of lights and electrics it requires a night instrument fit, an attitude indicator, turn-and-slip, vertical speed and a stabilised heading indicator, plus a mandatory landing light for all night operations, none of which the FAA requires for night VFR.",{"q":336,"a":337},"Do I need a transponder to fly VFR?","Only where the airspace calls for it, and that is a separate question from the day or night instrument lists. Under the FAA, 14 CFR 91.215 requires a Mode C transponder in Class A, B and C airspace, within the 30-nautical-mile Mode C veil around a Class B primary airport, and generally at and above 10,000 ft MSL, with 14 CFR 91.225 adding ADS-B Out in broadly the same airspace. Under EASA, NCO.IDE.A.200 requires a transponder where the airspace being flown requires it, and in the UK a transponder mandatory zone triggers the same duty.",[339,340,341,342,343],"VFR equipment is set by the operation: the FAA's 91.205(b) gives the day list and 91.205(c) the night additions, while EASA's Part-NCO (NCO.IDE.A.120 and .115) sets the equivalent by a different structure.","The FAA's night additions are position lights, an anticollision light system, a landing light only if operated for hire, an adequate electrical source, and spare fuses.","EASA night VFR is more demanding than the FAA's: it requires night instruments (attitude, turn-and-slip, vertical speed, stabilised heading) and a landing light for all night operations, which the FAA does not require for night VFR.","The transponder is a separate airspace-driven layer: FAA 91.215 (Mode C) and 91.225 (ADS-B Out) set the US airspace, and EASA's NCO.IDE.A.200 and UK transponder mandatory zones set the European duty.","State the FAA and EASA lists separately: the day list, the night additions and the transponder trigger all differ in detail between the systems.",{},"What VFR flight needs by day and night: FAA 91.205 day and night lists versus EASA Part-NCO, plus transponder carriage as a separate airspace-driven layer.",true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fvfr-equipment-requirements",[349,358,366],{"q":350,"options":351,"answer":356,"explanation":357},"Under the FAA's 14 CFR 91.205(c), when is a landing light required for night VFR?",[352,353,354,355],"Always, on every night flight","Only if the aircraft is operated for hire","Only above 10,000 ft","Never; it is optional",1,"14 CFR 91.205(c) requires a landing light for night VFR only if the aircraft is operated for hire. A privately operated aircraft flying night VFR is not required by that rule to carry one, though flying with a landing light is sensible. EASA, by contrast, requires a landing light for all night operations.",{"q":359,"options":360,"answer":356,"explanation":365},"How does EASA night VFR differ most from FAA night VFR in required instruments?",[361,362,363,364],"EASA requires no instruments at all at night","EASA requires night instruments (attitude, turn-and-slip, vertical speed, stabilised heading) that the FAA does not require for night VFR","The FAA requires an autopilot and EASA does not","There is no difference","EASA's Part-NCO requires a night instrument fit including attitude, turn-and-slip, vertical speed and a stabilised heading indicator. The FAA's 91.205(c) does not require these for night VFR; the attitude, turn-and-slip and heading gyros appear in 91.205(d) for IFR, and the vertical speed indicator is not required by the FAA even for Part 91 IFR.",{"q":367,"options":368,"answer":356,"explanation":373},"Where does the requirement to carry a transponder come from for a VFR flight?",[369,370,371,372],"The day or night instrument list in 91.205","The airspace being flown, under a separate rule such as 91.215 or NCO.IDE.A.200","The pilot's licence category","The aircraft's paint scheme","Transponder carriage is a separate, airspace-driven layer, not part of the 91.205 VFR instrument lists. FAA 91.215 sets the airspace where a Mode C transponder is required, and EASA's NCO.IDE.A.200 requires one where the airspace being flown requires it.",{"title":5,"description":325},[376,378,380,382,384,386],{"label":377,"url":52},"FAA 14 CFR 91.205 (Powered civil aircraft: instrument and equipment requirements)",{"label":379,"url":185},"FAA 14 CFR 91.215 (ATC transponder and altitude reporting equipment and use)",{"label":381,"url":191},"FAA 14 CFR 91.225 (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out equipment and use)",{"label":383,"url":77},"FAA 14 CFR 91.207 (Emergency locator transmitters)",{"label":385,"url":59},"EASA Easy Access Rules for Air Operations (Part-NCO, Section IDE)",{"label":387,"url":214},"EASA Easy Access Rules for Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA, transponder operation)","learn\u002Fvfr-equipment-requirements","Regulations","srXOKPWBB0MUQg3XHyslxH7Bd9YnrfuzT4_DkGgmRNc",{"related":392,"newer":411,"older":417,"series":324},[393,399,405],{"path":394,"title":395,"description":396,"date":397,"topic":389,"draft":326,"minutes":398,"series":324,"seriesOrder":324},"\u002Flearn\u002Ffitness-to-fly-imsafe-alcohol-and-medication","Fitness to fly: IMSAFE, alcohol and medication","The IMSAFE checklist, the FAA, EASA and UK alcohol rules and why the legal floor is not the safe ceiling, medication traps, and the scuba diving wait times.","2026-07-07",9,{"path":400,"title":401,"description":402,"date":403,"topic":389,"draft":326,"minutes":404,"series":324,"seriesOrder":324},"\u002Flearn\u002Fnight-vfr-explained","Night VFR explained","What legally counts as night, whether VFR at night is allowed under EASA and the UK versus the FAA, and why Europe needs a night rating and the FAA does not.","2026-07-04",11,{"path":406,"title":407,"description":408,"date":409,"topic":389,"draft":326,"minutes":410,"series":324,"seriesOrder":324},"\u002Flearn\u002Fclass-and-type-ratings-explained","Class and type ratings explained","Class rating versus type rating, what each lets you fly, and how EASA's revalidated ratings compare with the FAA's certificate-based system.","2026-06-11",8,{"path":412,"title":413,"description":414,"date":415,"topic":416,"draft":326,"minutes":398,"series":324,"seriesOrder":324},"\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-flight-information-service","The flight information service","What the flight information service is under ICAO, the UK's basic, traffic, deconfliction and procedural menu, and what none guarantees: separation.","2026-06-29","Briefing",{"path":418,"title":419,"description":420,"date":421,"topic":422,"draft":326,"minutes":398,"series":324,"seriesOrder":324},"\u002Flearn\u002Fconverting-and-transferring-logbooks","Converting and transferring logbooks","Moving a logbook from paper to digital or between formats without losing its value as evidence: carrying totals forward, and what EASA and the FAA require.","2026-06-22","Logbook",1783767261823]