Fuel, right-of-way and minimum altitudes

Preflight action (91.103)

Before every flight you must become familiar with all available information about it. For a flight not in the vicinity of an airport (or any IFR flight), that includes weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives if the flight can't be completed, and any known traffic delays. For every flight, you need runway lengths and takeoff and landing distance data.

VFR fuel reserves (91.151)

You may not begin a VFR flight unless there's enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing and, at normal cruise speed, then fly for at least:

• 30 minutes during the day
• 45 minutes at night

That's the legal minimum. Many pilots set a personal minimum of an hour.

Right-of-way (91.113)

• An aircraft in distress has the right-of-way over all others.
• Converging at about the same altitude: the aircraft on the right has the right-of-way.
• Between categories: balloon over glider over airship over airplane or rotorcraft. An aircraft towing or refueling another has the right-of-way over all other engine-driven aircraft.
• Head-on: each aircraft alters course to the right.
• Overtaking: the aircraft being overtaken has the right-of-way; pass well clear on the right.
• Landing: aircraft landing have the right-of-way over aircraft in flight or on the surface. With two landing, the lower aircraft has it, but can't use that to cut in front of another.

Right-of-way rules never relieve you of the duty to see and avoid.

Minimum safe altitudes (91.119)

• Anywhere: high enough to make an emergency landing without undue hazard to people or property on the ground if the engine fails.
• Congested areas: at least 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet.
• Other than congested areas: at least 500 feet AGL. Over open water or sparsely populated areas, no closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle or structure.

Speed limits (91.117)

250 knots below 10,000 feet MSL; 200 knots at or below 2,500 feet AGL within 4 NM of the primary airport of Class C or D airspace, and in the airspace beneath Class B or in a VFR corridor through it.