Other sources of risk management training available to the  pilot are the various pilot organizations, such as the Airplane  Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental  Aircraft Association (EAA), and numerous aircraft  associations. All these organizations have variations of pilot  experiences and solutions to situations in their publications.  AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation provides live seminars  throughout the country and online training at the AOPA  website: www.aopa.org. At first glance, this part of the process might look a bit  complicated. It might take a few minutes to review, record,  and summarize your personal experience, but you will find  the finished product is well worth your time. First, think back through your flight training and complete  the Certification Training, an Experience Summary chart  in  Figure 8-2.  The Certification, Training, and Experience  Summary is adapted from the FAA’s Personal and Weather  Risk Assessment Guide (October 2003). It can be found at  www.faa.gov. Next, think through your recent flying experiences and  make a note of the lowest weather conditions that you have  comfortably experienced as a pilot in your VFR and, if  applicable, IFR flying in the last 6–12 months. You might  want to use the charts in  Figures 8-3  through  8-5  as guides for  this assessment, but do not think that you need to fill in every  square. In fact, you may not have, or even need, an entry for  every category. Suppose that most of your flying takes place  in a part of the country where clear skies and visibilities of 30  plus miles are normal. Your entry might specify the lowest  VFR ceiling as 7,000, and the lowest visibility as 15 miles.  You may have never experienced MVFR conditions at all,  so you would leave those boxes blank. For example, in a part of the country where normal summer  flying often involves hazy conditions over relatively flat  terrain, pilots who know the local terrain could regularly  operate in hazy daytime MVFR conditions (e.g., 2,500 and  four miles), and would use the MVFR column to record  these values.  IFR is defined as a ceiling less than 1,000 feet above ground  level (AGL) and/or visibility less than three miles. Low  instrument flight rules (LIFR) is a subcategory of IFR. VFR  has ceiling greater than 3,000 feet AGL and visibility greater  than five miles. Marginal visual flight rules (MVFR) is a  subcategory of VFR. Most people think of personal minimums primarily in terms  of weather conditions, so begin with a quick review of  weather definitions. The regulations define weather flight  conditions for visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument  flight rules (IFR) in terms of specific values for ceiling and  visibility.  [Figure 8-1] One of the most important concepts that safe pilots  understand is the difference between what is “legal” in terms  of the regulations, and what is “smart” or “safe” in terms of  pilot experience and proficiency. By establishing personal  minimums, pilots can take a big step in managing risk. In the  article, “Getting the Maximum from Personal Minimums,”  (May/June 2006 FAA Aviation News), the FAA General  Aviation and Commercial Division, AFS-800, discusses six  steps for establishing personal minimums.  Step 2—Assess Experience and Comfort Level Setting Personal Minimums Step 1—Review Weather Minimums Figure 8-1.  The regulations define weather flight conditions for visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) in terms of  specific values for ceiling and visibility. Visual Flight Rules VFR  (green sky symbol) Marginal Visual Flight Rules MVFR  (blue sky symbol) Instrument Flight Rules IFR  (red sky symbol) Low Instrument Flight Rules LIFR  (magenta sky symbol) Category Ceiling Visibility and/or and/or and/or and Greater than 3,000 feet AGL 1,000 to 3,000 feet AGL 500 to below 1,000 feet AGL below 500 feet AGL Greater than 5 miles 3 to 5 miles 1 mile to less than 3 miles less than 1 mile 8-3