I can't help myself and have to speak out. For a private pilot, weather minimums in class G (generally within 1200 feet above the surface ) are 1 mile visibility and clear of clouds. And you can't fly within 500 feet of any person or structure if your staying legal. -So, you could go fly in 1 mile of visibility and 200 foot ceilings, skirting structures and people. This is dangerous (91.13). There are all sorts of things sticking up from the ground and with 1 mile of visibility, you will not see something and hit something. And slowing down is still not that slow. Generally a minimum of about 40mph to hold altitude, unless you are about 15 feet above the ground or lower. Further, if your flying at 40mph, and slow down more, your going to descend. And you can't go back up, unless you go faster. And if the engine quits, your landing right where you are, and you will hit very hard because you are on the wrong side of the HV curve. Lets not even talk about how easy it is to get lost. And if the FAA found out, you would probably get cited with 91.13 (Careless or reckless operation)
On the other hand, flying with a 1300 foot ceiling and 10+ miles of visibility at 1200 feet AGL can be relatively safe and does not require you to "slow down". You can cruise along at 65mph (max efficiency in a Magni), stay on the right side of the HV curve, legally fly over a house, and have a chance a picking your landing spot if the engine quits. Even at this altitude, you can still get lost, depending on the terrain. --If you've never done it, go up to 5000 or 6000 feet on a clear day and look how far you can see.
Anyway, both are considered skud running. The latter often happens in Class D with a special VFR clearance. The former should not ever happen. In a gyro, if you are so concerned with visibility that you need to slow down, you should not be flying in it.
