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90 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.127 

(2) Flight following centers located 

at those points necessary— 

(i) To ensure the proper monitoring 

of the progress of each flight with re-
spect to its departure at the point of 
origin and arrival at its destination, 
including intermediate stops and diver-
sions therefrom, and maintenance or 
mechanical delays encountered at 
those points or stops; and 

(ii) To ensure that the pilot in com-

mand is provided with all information 
necessary for the safety of the flight. 

(b) A certificate holder conducting 

supplemental operations may arrange 
to have flight following facilities pro-
vided by persons other than its employ-
ees, but in such a case the certificate 
holder continues to be primarily re-
sponsible for operational control of 
each flight. 

(c) A flight following system need not 

provide for in-flight monitoring by a 
flight following center. 

(d) The certificate holder’s oper-

ations specifications specify the flight 
following system it is authorized to use 
and the location of the centers. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19195, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2611, Jan. 
26, 1996] 

§ 121.127 Flight following system; re-

quirements. 

(a) Each certificate holder con-

ducting supplemental operations using 
a flight following system must show 
that— 

(1) The system has adequate facilities 

and personnel to provide the informa-
tion necessary for the initiation and 
safe conduct of each flight to— 

(i) The flight crew of each aircraft; 

and 

(ii) The persons designated by the 

certificate holder to perform the func-
tion of operational control of the air-
craft; and 

(2) The system has a means of com-

munication by private or available 
public facilities (such as telephone, 
telegraph, or radio) to monitor the 
progress of each flight with respect to 
its departure at the point of origin and 
arrival at its destination, including in-
termediate stops and diversions there-
from, and maintenance or mechanical 
delays encountered at those points or 
stops. 

(b) The certificate holder conducting 

supplemental operations must show 
that the personnel specified in para-
graph (a) of this section, and those it 
designates to perform the function of 
operational control of the aircraft, are 
able to perform their required duties. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19195, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2611, Jan. 
26, 1996] 

Subpart G—Manual Requirements 

§ 121.131 Applicability. 

This subpart prescribes requirements 

for preparing and maintaining manuals 
by all certificate holders. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19196, Dec. 31, 1964] 

§ 121.133 Preparation. 

(a) Each certificate holder shall pre-

pare and keep current a manual for the 
use and guidance of flight, ground oper-
ations, and management personnel in 
conducting its operations. 

(b) For the purpose of this subpart, 

the certificate holder may prepare that 
part of the manual containing mainte-
nance information and instructions, in 
whole or in part, in printed form or 
other form acceptable to the Adminis-
trator. 

[Doc. No. 28154, 60 FR 65926, Dec. 20, 1995] 

§ 121.135 Manual contents. 

(a) Each manual accessed in paper 

format must display the date of last re-
vision on each page. Each manual 
accessed in electronic format must dis-
play the date of last revision in a man-
ner in which a person can immediately 
ascertain it. Each manual required by 
§ 121.133 must: 

(1) Include instructions and informa-

tion necessary to allow the personnel 
concerned to perform their duties and 
responsibilities with a high degree of 
safety; 

(2) Be in a form that is easy to revise 

and; 

(3) Not be contrary to any applicable 

Federal regulation and, in the case of a 
flag or supplemental operation, any ap-
plicable foreign regulation, or the cer-
tificate holder’s operations specifica-
tions or operating certificate. 

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Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.135 

(b) The manual may be in two or 

more separate parts, containing to-
gether all of the following information, 
but each part must contain that part of 
the information that is appropriate for 
each group of personnel: 

(1) General policies. 
(2) Duties and responsibilities of each 

crewmember, appropriate members of 
the ground organization, and manage-
ment personnel. 

(3) Reference to appropriate Federal 

Aviation Regulations. 

(4) Flight dispatching and oper-

ational control, including procedures 
for coordinated dispatch or flight con-
trol or flight following procedures, as 
applicable. 

(5) En route flight, navigation, and 

communication procedures, including 
procedures for the dispatch or release 
or continuance of flight if any item of 
equipment required for the particular 
type of operation becomes inoperative 
or unserviceable en route. 

(6) For domestic or flag operations, 

appropriate information from the en 
route operations specifications, includ-
ing for each approved route the types 
of airplanes authorized, the type of op-
eration such as VFR, IFR, day, night, 
etc., and any other pertinent informa-
tion. 

(7) For supplemental operations, ap-

propriate information from the oper-
ations specifications, including the 
area of operations authorized, the 
types of airplanes authorized, the type 
of operation such as VFR, IFR, day, 
night, etc., and any other pertinent in-
formation. 

(8) Appropriate information from the 

airport operations specifications, in-
cluding for each airport— 

(i) Its location (domestic and flag op-

erations only); 

(ii) Its designation (regular, alter-

nate, provisional, etc.) (domestic and 
flag operations only); 

(iii) The types of airplanes authorized 

(domestic and flag operations only); 

(iv) Instrument approach procedures; 
(v) Landing and takeoff minimums; 

and 

(vi) Any other pertinent information. 
(9) Takeoff, en route, and landing 

weight limitations. 

(10) For ETOPS, airplane perform-

ance data to support all phases of these 
operations. 

(11) Procedures for familiarizing pas-

sengers with the use of emergency 
equipment, during flight. 

(12) Emergency equipment and proce-

dures. 

(13) The method of designating suc-

cession of command of flight crew-
members. 

(14) Procedures for determining the 

usability of landing and takeoff areas, 
and for disseminating pertinent infor-
mation thereon to operations per-
sonnel. 

(15) Procedures for operating in peri-

ods of ice, hail, thunderstorms, turbu-
lence, or any potentially hazardous me-
teorological condition. 

(16) Each training program cur-

riculum required by § 121.403. 

(17) Instructions and procedures for 

maintenance, preventive maintenance, 
and servicing. 

(18) Time limitations, or standards 

for determining time limitations, for 
overhauls, inspections, and checks of 
airframes, engines, propellers, appli-
ances and emergency equipment. 

(19) Procedures for refueling aircraft, 

eliminating fuel contamination, pro-
tection from fire (including electro-
static protection), and supervising and 
protecting passengers during refueling. 

(20) Airworthiness inspections, in-

cluding instructions covering proce-
dures, standards, responsibilities, and 
authority of inspection personnel. 

(21) Methods and procedures for 

maintaining the aircraft weight and 
center of gravity within approved lim-
its. 

(22) Where applicable, pilot and dis-

patcher route and airport qualification 
procedures. 

(23) Accident notification procedures. 
(24) After February 15, 2008, for pas-

senger flag operations and for those 
supplemental operations that are not 
all-cargo operations outside the 48 con-
tiguous States and Alaska, 

(i) For ETOPS greater than 180 min-

utes a specific passenger recovery plan 
for each ETOPS Alternate Airport used 
in those operations, and 

(ii) For operations in the North Polar 

Area and South Polar Area a specific 

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92 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.137 

passenger recovery plan for each diver-
sion airport used in those operations. 

(25)(i) Procedures and information, as 

described in paragraph (b)(25)(ii) of this 
section, to assist each crewmember and 
person performing or directly super-
vising the following job functions in-
volving items for transport on an air-
craft: 

(A) Acceptance; 
(B) Rejection; 
(C) Handling; 
(D) Storage incidental to transport; 
(E) Packaging of company material; 

or 

(F) Loading. 
(ii) Ensure that the procedures and 

information described in this para-
graph are sufficient to assist the per-
son in identifying packages that are 
marked or labeled as containing haz-
ardous materials or that show signs of 
containing undeclared hazardous mate-
rials. The procedures and information 
must include: 

(A) Procedures for rejecting packages 

that do not conform to the Hazardous 
Materials Regulations in 49 CFR parts 
171 through 180 or that appear to con-
tain undeclared hazardous materials; 

(B) Procedures for complying with 

the hazardous materials incident re-
porting requirements of 49 CFR 171.15 
and 171.16 and discrepancy reporting re-
quirements of 49 CFR 175.31 

(C) The certificate holder’s hazmat 

policies and whether the certificate 
holder is authorized to carry, or is pro-
hibited from carrying, hazardous mate-
rials; and 

(D) If the certificate holder’s oper-

ations specifications permit the trans-
port of hazardous materials, procedures 
and information to ensure the fol-
lowing: 

(

1

) That packages containing haz-

ardous materials are properly offered 
and accepted in compliance with 49 
CFR parts 171 through 180; 

(

2

) That packages containing haz-

ardous materials are properly handled, 
stored, packaged, loaded, and carried 
on board an aircraft in compliance 
with 49 CFR parts 171 through 180; 

(

3

) That the requirements for Notice 

to the Pilot in Command (49 CFR 
175.33) are complied with; and 

(

4

) That aircraft replacement parts, 

consumable materials or other items 

regulated by 49 CFR parts 171 through 
180 are properly handled, packaged, and 
transported. 

(26) Other information or instruc-

tions relating to safety. 

(c) Each certificate holder shall 

maintain at least one complete copy of 
the manual at its principal base of op-
erations. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19196, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–104, 38 FR 14915, June 
7, 1973; Amdt. 121–106, 38 FR 22377, Aug. 20, 
1973; Amdt. 121–143, 43 FR 22641, May 25, 1978; 
Amdt. 121–162, 45 FR 46739, July 10, 1980; 
Amdt. 121–251, 60 FR 65926, Dec. 20, 1995; 
Amdt. 121–250, 60 FR 65948, Dec. 20, 1995; 
Amdt. 121–316, 70 FR 58823, Oct. 7, 2005; Amdt. 
121–329, 72 FR 1879, Jan. 16, 2007; Docket No. 
FAA–2022–0912; Amdt. No. 121–388, 88 FR 
34443, May 30, 2023] 

§ 121.137 Distribution and availability. 

(a) Each certificate holder shall fur-

nish copies of the manual required by 
§ 121.133 (and the changes and additions 
thereto) or appropriate parts of the 
manual to— 

(1) Its appropriate ground operations 

and maintenance personnel; 

(2) Crewmembers; and 
(3) Representatives of the Adminis-

trator assigned to it. 

(b) Each person to whom a manual or 

appropriate parts of it are furnished 
under paragraph (a) of this section 
shall keep it up-to-date with the 
changes and additions furnished to 
that person and shall have the manual 
or appropriate parts of it accessible 
when performing assigned duties. 

(c) For the purpose of complying with 

paragraph (a) of this section, a certifi-
cate holder may furnish the persons 
listed therein the maintenance part of 
the manual in printed form or other 
form, acceptable to the Administrator, 
that is retrievable in the English lan-
guage. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19196, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–71, 35 FR 17176, Nov. 7, 
1970; Amdt. 121–162, 45 FR 46739, July 10, 1980; 
Amdt. 121–262, 62 FR 13256, Mar. 19, 1997] 

§ 121.139 Manual accessibility: Supple-

mental operations. 

Each certificate holder conducting 

supplemental operations must ensure 
the appropriate parts of the manual are 
accessible to flight, ground, and main-
tenance personnel at all times when