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Altitude, terrain and obstacles: VFR profile
How low you may fly, which pressure to set on the altimeter, at what level to fly above 3000 ft and how to find masts and turbines on your route. Planning a flight profile with a margin above terrain and below zones.
Applies to: Poland (FIR Warszawa). Based on the SERA regulation (EU 923/2012) and AIP Poland, AIRAC cycle of 1 October 2026. Other countries have other rules. Before the flight always check the current AIP Poland, NOTAM and AUP/UUP.
Minimum flight heights
Applies to: Poland · Source: SERA.5005(f), AIP Poland ENR 1.2 · as of 1.10.2026
The VFR minimum heights come from the SERA regulation and apply throughout FIR Warszawa. They do not apply to take-off and landing or to flights authorised by the competent authority. What counts is the height above the obstacle or terrain, not the altimeter reading - which is why over hills and next to masts the same altitude AMSL is sometimes enough and sometimes not.
Minimum VFR flight heights · SERA.5005(f) · AIP Poland ENR 1.2
| What you fly over | Minimum | Measured from |
|---|---|---|
| congested areas of cities, towns or settlements | 1000 ft (300 m) | the highest obstacle within 600 m of the aircraft |
| an open-air assembly of people (competition, fair, concert) | 1000 ft (300 m) | the highest obstacle within 600 m |
| everywhere else | 500 ft (150 m) | the ground or water, or the highest obstacle within 150 m |
Does not apply to take-off and landing. These are legal minima, not recommendations: plan higher en route. Educational material: vfrmap.eu/en/academy/altitude-terrain-obstacles/.
In practice 500 ft above the ground is very low: after an engine failure you have a dozen or so seconds to choose a field, and a 150 m mast reaches exactly your height. Most instructors recommend at least 1000 ft above the highest obstacle in a corridor around the route en route, and more still in poorer visibility.
QNH, QFE and 1013.2 hPa
Applies to: Poland · Source: AIP Poland ENR 1.7 · as of 1.10.2026
The altimeter measures pressure and converts it into feet relative to the pressure you set in the window. What it shows depends on that setting:
| Setting | The altimeter shows | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| QNH | altitude above mean sea level (AMSL); on the runway - the aerodrome elevation | at and below 6500 ft AMSL, i.e. almost always on VFR flights in Poland |
| QFE | height above the aerodrome; on the runway - 0 | sometimes in the circuit at your own airfield; zone limits and altitudes on charts are AMSL, so not en route |
| 1013.2 hPa | flight level (FL), e.g. FL75 = 7500 ft at standard pressure | above the transition level given by ATS or the ATIS |
The transition altitude throughout FIR Warszawa is 6500 ft AMSL. Climbing through it, you set the altimeter to 1013.2 hPa. Descending, you set it to QNH after passing the transition level. Between the transition altitude and the transition level lies the transition layer - no level flight is flown in it.
Altimeter errors in numbers
Pressure: 1 hPa ≈ 27-30 ft. QNH not reset from 1013 → 1000 hPa = about 13 × 28 ≈ 360 ft lower than the altimeter shows.
Temperature: about 4% of the height above the station for every 10°C below ISA. In winter at -10°C (ISA - 25°C) and 2000 ft above the terrain: about 10% ≈ 200 ft lower.
The rule: flying towards lower pressure or colder air, you are lower than you think.
Which QNH to set in class G
Applies to: Poland · Source: AIP Poland ENR 1.7 · as of 1.10.2026
An airport's QNH is accurate only in its vicinity. For routes through uncontrolled airspace AIP Poland provides altimeter setting regions. Each has one regional QNH, calculated to give a margin above obstacles in adverse conditions and given by the ATS unit - in practice you get it from Warszawa FIS.
- En route in class G - the regional QNH of the region you are flying over. When you change region or FIS sector, ask for the new one.
- Below a TMA sector with a lower limit at or below 6500 ft - the QNH of the main airport of that TMA. You then compare the TMA lower limit directly with the reading, as ATC does.
- In a CTR and in the circuit - the aerodrome QNH from the ATIS or the tower.
! Watch out for
- The regional QNH is usually lower than the QNH of an airport in the region. The altimeter then shows less than the real altitude - an intended margin above terrain, but below a TMA set the TMA airport's QNH, not the regional one.
- After a long flight into a low, an altimeter with the setting from before take-off can be several hundred feet out. Update the QNH at least at every change of FIS sector.
VFR cruising levels
Applies to: Poland · Source: SERA.5005(g), SERA Appendix 3, AIP Poland ENR 1.7 · as of 1.10.2026
Above 3000 ft (900 m) above the ground or water level VFR flight is flown at a level that depends on the magnetic track (not heading). This way aircraft flying towards each other are separated by 1000 ft. Below 3000 ft AGL you choose the altitude freely.
| Magnetic track | On QNH (up to 6500 ft) | Above the transition level |
|---|---|---|
| 000° - 179° (eastbound) | 3500 ft, 5500 ft | FL75, FL95 |
| 180° - 359° (westbound) | 4500 ft, 6500 ft | FL85 |
A flight level is available only when it lies above the transition level given by ATS. In controlled airspace the altitude in the clearance applies, even if it differs from the table.
Watch the "3000 ft above the ground": flying at 3500 ft AMSL over 400 ft terrain, you are at 3100 ft AGL - above the threshold, so the direction matters. The same flight over 700 ft terrain is 2800 ft AGL and the table does not apply. You work out the magnetic track and variation as in the article VFR navigation: course, wind and variation.
Masts, chimneys and wind turbines
Applies to: Poland · Source: AIP Poland ENR 5.4, OpenAIP data on the vfrmap.eu map · as of 23.10.2026
PANSA publishes aviation obstacles 100 m and taller as digital data sets (the obstacle data set and eTOD) at ais.pansa.pl - AIP Poland ENR 5.4 refers there. On VFR charts obstacles have a symbol with the top altitude AMSL and the height above the terrain.
| Obstacles on the vfrmap.eu map | Number | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| wind turbines | 3497 | 3231 without a given height |
| chimneys | 163 | power stations, combined heat and power plants, factories |
| masts and towers | 119 | the tallest: RTCN Katowice/Kosztowy, 1175 ft above the terrain, top 2163 ft AMSL |
| buildings and other | 419 | - |
Wind farms cause the most trouble. New turbines are 150-200 m and more including the blade (the tallest with a height in the data: 696 ft), stand in groups and are hard to see in haze. RTCN masts are 300-360 m tall and held by guy wires that reach hundreds of metres from the mast. A few rules:
- Treat a turbine without a given height as an obstacle 700 ft above the terrain.
- Pass a guyed mast to the side at a distance of at least 1 NM, or fly over it with a margin of at least 500 ft, preferably 1000 ft.
- Power lines and many lower obstacles are not in the data. Below 1000 ft AGL look outside, not at the tablet.
The route profile step by step
Applies to: Poland · Illustrative example · altitudes on QNH
You do not choose the cruise altitude "by eye". You look for a band between two limits: the lower one (terrain and obstacles plus a margin) and the upper one (the lower limit of the TMA, the TSA/TRA/D zones and the cloud base minus a margin). If the band is empty, you change the route, not the rules.
- A corridor around the route: mark out a corridor of a few kilometres on each side of the track line (as much as you could realistically stray from it).
- The highest point: find the highest terrain and the highest obstacle in the corridor. Add about 1000 ft - that is your minimum planned altitude for the leg.
- The ceiling: check the lowest lower limit of controlled airspace and of zones active according to the AUP/UUP. Subtract at least 200-500 ft for altimeter errors and turbulence.
- Cloud: compare with the forecast cloud base and the VMC minima. A 2500 ft AGL base with the required distance from cloud in practice means flying lower than you want.
- The choice: if above 3000 ft AGL - choose a level from the cruising level table. Write down the QNH you will set on each leg.
- A contingency plan: plan where you will turn back if the cloud base pushes you below the leg's minimum altitude.
How to read TMA lower limits and airspace classes is described in the article Airspace in Poland for VFR pilots, and the activity of TSAs and TRAs in the guide TSA and TRA: checking the AUP/UUP before VFR.
Examples: is this altitude right?
Illustrative situations, altitudes on QNH.
| Situation | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Cruise at 1500 ft AMSL over fields, terrain 500 ft, the nearest obstacle 2 km from the route | legally yes (1000 ft AGL) - but little room for an engine failure |
| Cruise at 1500 ft AMSL over a town, terrain 400 ft, a 120 m chimney (about 790 ft AMSL) 300 m from the route | no - only about 710 ft above the chimney, 1000 ft within 600 m required |
| Cruise at 2000 ft AMSL next to the RTCN Kosztowy mast (top 2163 ft AMSL) | no - you are below the top; give the mast a wide berth or fly higher |
| Magnetic track 095°, terrain 300 ft, cruise at 4500 ft AMSL | not according to the table - eastbound 3500 or 5500 ft |
| A wind farm without given heights, terrain 600 ft, cruise at 1500 ft AMSL | risky - a turbine may reach about 1300 ft AMSL; avoid the farm or fly higher |
| Flight below a TMA with a 2500 ft lower limit, regional QNH 1008 on the altimeter, TMA airport QNH 1014 | set the TMA airport QNH - a 6 hPa difference is about 170 ft |
✓ A quick method
For each leg write three numbers in the plan: MIN (the highest obstacle in the corridor + 1000 ft), MAX (the lowest limit above you - 500 ft) and QNH. If MIN is greater than MAX, the leg has to be planned differently.
Frequently asked questions
How low can I fly VFR in Poland?
Except for take-off and landing, not lower than 1000 ft above the highest obstacle within 600 m over congested areas of cities and towns and over open-air assemblies of people, and elsewhere not lower than 500 ft above the ground or water or above the highest obstacle within 500 ft (150 m) of the aircraft (AIP Poland ENR 1.2, SERA.5005).
What is the transition altitude in Poland?
Throughout FIR Warszawa the transition altitude is 6500 ft AMSL. At and below it you fly on QNH, above the transition level on standard pressure 1013.2 hPa. There is one transition level for the whole FIR and ATS or the ATIS gives it.
Which QNH do I set in class G airspace?
Altimeter setting regions have been defined in uncontrolled airspace. Each has one regional QNH, calculated to give a margin above obstacles in adverse conditions and given by the ATS unit. Below TMA sectors with a lower limit at or below 6500 ft you set the QNH of the main airport of that TMA.
At what level do I fly a VFR cross-country?
Above 3000 ft above the ground or water, level VFR flight is flown at a level from the cruising level table: with a magnetic track from 000° to 179° odd thousands plus 500 ft (e.g. 3500 ft, 5500 ft, FL75), from 180° to 359° even thousands plus 500 ft (e.g. 4500 ft, 6500 ft, FL85).
Where can I find aviation obstacles in Poland?
PANSA publishes the official data on obstacles 100 m tall and higher as digital data sets (eTOD and the obstacle data set) at ais.pansa.pl (AIP Poland ENR 5.4). Obstacles are also on VFR charts. The vfrmap.eu map shows obstacles from OpenAIP, which are not complete: many wind turbines have no height in it.
Sources
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 (SERA): SERA.5005(f) (minimum heights), (g) and Appendix 3 (cruising levels) - eur-lex.europa.eu
- AIP Poland, AIRAC cycle of 1.10.2026: ENR 1.2 (VFR rules), ENR 1.7 (altimeter setting procedures), ENR 5.4 (air navigation obstacles) - ais.pansa.pl
- Obstacle data on the vfrmap.eu map: OpenAIP (CC BY-NC 4.0), as of 23.10.2026
Educational material. It does not replace flight training, the current AIP Poland, NOTAM or the regulations. The obstacle data on the vfrmap.eu map comes from OpenAIP and is not complete. Spotted a mistake? Write to info@vfrmap.eu.