During cruise, when can a pilot change altitude without ATC permission?

• A. At own discretion
• B. Only with ATC clearance
• C. Only when the airspace is Class A
• D. Only after being assigned a new altitude by ATC

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that under VFR flight rules, a pilot may change altitude without ATC clearance while cruising, as long as weather and airspace conditions permit. In VFR conditions this freedom is allowed because you’re maintaining see-and-avoid separation and following the general VFR cruising altitude guidance (east/west direction rules) to help keep traffic separated. You would not need ATC permission to shift altitude in this scenario, unlike IFR operations where any altitude change requires an ATC clearance or an assigned altitude. It’s also not applicable to Class A airspace, where VFR operations aren’t allowed and ATC clearance is required for any altitude changes. So the best choice is that you can change altitude at your own discretion during cruise when flying VFR.