Vertical view
In aviation meteorology, vertical view (VV) describes the maximum distance at which dark objects such as clouds or fog of sufficient size can be recognized from the ground in a vertical direction in front of the bright sky as a background. The vertical view is determined when a cloud base cannot be determined due to fog, heavy precipitation or storms . Higher structures, mountains or other orientation aids can serve as a guide.
In international air traffic one speaks of vertical visibility . With the information on the VV, the pilot receives an indication of the height above the ground from which he will have a view of the ground at the latest during the approach . In this way he can adjust to the visibility conditions on approach.
In meteorology , the value of the vertical view is estimated in hecto feet and assigned to the cloud group in the weather report; the degree of coverage and the type of cloud are then omitted.