PLT298: VFR-on-Top
What code PLT298 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study VFR-on-Top before your checkride.
Recall instrument procedures - VFR on top
What this means for your checkride
VFR-on-top lets an IFR pilot, once above a cloud layer, fly VFR altitudes and cloud clearances while remaining on an IFR clearance and following IFR rules for reports and communications. It requires an ATC clearance and staying in VFR conditions, and it is not the same as VFR over-the-top.
VFR-on-top mixes IFR and VFR rules in a way pilots confuse, so the FAA tests what it authorizes and its requirements.
Pilots confuse VFR-on-top with VFR over-the-top. VFR-on-top is an IFR clearance that lets you choose VFR altitudes; VFR over-the-top is a purely VFR operation above a layer with no IFR clearance.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.