In controlled airspace above 1,200 feet AGL and below 10,000 feet MSL, VFR flight requires a minimum visibility and vertical cloud clearance of

• A. 3 miles, and 500 feet below or 1,000 feet above the clouds
• B. 3 miles, and 1,000 feet below or 500 feet above the clouds
• C. 5 miles, and 1,000 feet below or 2,000 feet above the clouds
• D. 5 miles, and 500 feet below or 1,000 feet above the clouds

Answer: (A)

The main rule here is that in controlled airspace from 1,200 AGL up to 10,000 MSL, VFR minimums require 3 miles of visibility and cloud clearance of 1,000 feet above the clouds, 500 feet below the clouds, and 2,000 feet horizontally from any cloud. This ensures you have enough sight and room to avoid clouds and other aircraft in that common IFR-from-VFR range.

The correct description matches 3 miles of visibility with 1,000 feet above or 500 feet below the clouds, plus 2,000 feet of horizontal separation. The other options either give the wrong visibility or swap the vertical distances, which don’t align with these standard minimums.