94 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.155 

§ 121.155 [Reserved] 

§ 121.157 Aircraft certification and 

equipment requirements. 

(a) 

Airplanes certificated before July 1, 

1942. 

No certificate holder may operate 

an airplane that was type certificated 
before July 1, 1942, unless— 

(1) That airplane meets the require-

ments of § 121.173(c), or 

(2) That airplane and all other air-

planes of the same or related type oper-
ated by that certificate holder meet 
the performance requirements of sec-
tions 4a.737–T through 4a.750–T of the 
Civil Air Regulations as in effect on 
January 31, 1965; or §§ 25.45 through 
25.75 and § 121.173(a), (b), (d), and (e) of 
this title. 

(b) 

Airplanes certificated after June 30, 

1942. 

Except as provided in paragraphs 

(c), (d), (e), and (f) of this section, no 
certificate holder may operate an air-
plane that was type certificated after 
June 30, 1942, unless it is certificated as 
a transport category airplane and 
meets the requirements of § 121.173(a), 
(b), (d), and (e). 

(c) 

C–46 type airplanes: passenger-car-

rying operations. 

No certificate holder 

may operate a C–46 airplane in pas-
senger-carrying operations unless that 
airplane is operated in accordance with 
the operating limitations for transport 
category airplanes and meets the re-
quirements of paragraph (b) of this sec-
tion or meets the requirements of part 
4b, as in effect July 20, 1950, and the re-
quirements of § 121.173 (a), (b), (d) and 
(e), except that— 

(1) The requirements of sections 4b.0 

through 4b.19 as in effect May 18, 1954, 
must be complied with; 

(2) The birdproof windshield require-

ments of section 4b.352 need not be 
complied with; 

(3) The provisions of sections 4b.480 

through 4b.490 (except sections 
4b.484(a)(1) and 4b.487(e)), as in effect 
May 16, 1953, must be complied with; 
and 

(4) The provisions of paragraph 

4b.484(a)(1), as in effect July 20, 1950, 
must be complied with. 

In determining the takeoff path in ac-
cordance with section 4b.116 and the 
one-engine inoperative climb in accord-
ance with section 4b.120 (a) and (b), the 
propeller of the inoperative engine may 

be assumed to be feathered if the air-
plane is equipped with either an ap-
proved means for automatically indi-
cating when the particular engine has 
failed or an approved means for auto-
matically feathering the propeller of 
the inoperative engine. The Adminis-
trator may authorize deviations from 
compliance with the requirements of 
sections 4b.130 through 4b.190 and sub-
parts C, D, E, and F of part 4b (as des-
ignated in this paragraph) if he finds 
that (considering the effect of design 
changes) compliance is extremely dif-
ficult to accomplish and that service 
experience with the C–46 airplane justi-
fies the deviation. 

(d) 

C–46 type airplanes: cargo oper-

ations. 

No certificate holder may use a 

nontransport category C–46 type air-
plane in cargo operations unless— 

(1) It is certificated at a maximum 

gross weight that is not greater than 
48,000 pounds; 

(2) It meets the requirements of 

§§ 121.199 through 121.205 using the per-
formance data in appendix C to this 
part; 

(3) Before each flight, each engine 

contains at least 25 gallons of oil; and 

(4) After December 31, 1964— 
(i) It is powered by a type and model 

engine as set forth in appendix C of 
this part, when certificated at a max-
imum gross takeoff weight greater 
than 45,000 pounds; and 

(ii) It complies with the special air-

worthiness requirement set forth in 
§§ 121.213 through 121.287 of this part or 
in appendix C of this part. 

(e) 

Commuter category airplanes. 

Ex-

cept as provided in paragraph (f) of this 
section, no certificate holder may oper-
ate under this part a nontransport cat-
egory airplane type certificated after 
December 31, 1964, and before March 30, 
1995, unless it meets the applicable re-
quirements of § 121.173 (a), (b), (d), and 
(e), and was type certificated in the 
commuter category. 

(f) 

Other nontransport category air-

planes. 

No certificate holder may oper-

ate under this part a nontransport cat-
egory airplane type certificated after 
December 31, 1964, unless it meets the 
applicable requirements of § 121.173 (a), 
(b), (d), and (e), was manufactured be-
fore March 20, 1997, and meets one of 
the following: 

95 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.161 

(1) Until December 20, 2010: 
(i) The airplane was type certificated 

in the normal category before July 1, 
1970, and meets special conditions 
issued by the Administrator for air-
planes intended for use in operations 
under part 135 of this chapter. 

(ii) The airplane was type certifi-

cated in the normal category before 
July 19, 1970, and meets the additional 
airworthiness standards in SFAR No. 
23, 14 CFR part 23. 

(iii) The airplane was type certifi-

cated in the normal category and 
meets the additional airworthiness 
standards in appendix A of part 135 of 
this chapter. 

(iv) The airplane was type certifi-

cated in the normal category and com-
plies with either section 1.(a) or 1.(b) of 
SFAR No. 41 of 14 CFR part 21. 

(2) The airplane was type certificated 

in the normal category, meets the ad-
ditional requirements described in 
paragraphs (f)(1)(i) through (f)(1)(iv) of 
this section, and meets the perform-
ance requirements in appendix K of 
this part. 

(g) 

Certain newly manufactured air-

planes. 

No certificate holder may oper-

ate an airplane under this part that 
was type certificated as described in 
paragraphs (f)(1)(i) through (f)(1)(iv) of 
this section and that was manufac-
tured after March 20, 1997, unless it 
meets the performance requirements in 
appendix K of this part. 

(h) 

Newly type certificated airplanes. 

No person may operate under this part 
an airplane for which the application 
for a type certificate is submitted after 
March 29, 1995, unless the airplane is 
type certificated under part 25 of this 
chapter. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19197, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–251, 60 FR 65927, Dec. 
20, 1995; Amdt. 121–256, 61 FR 30434, June 14, 
1996] 

§ 121.159 Single-engine airplanes pro-

hibited. 

No certificate holder may operate a 

single-engine airplane under this part. 

[Doc. No. 28154, 60 FR 65927, Dec. 20, 1995] 

§ 121.161 Airplane limitations: Type of 

route. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(e) of this section, unless approved by 

the Administrator in accordance with 
Appendix P of this part and authorized 
in the certificate holder’s operations 
specifications, no certificate holder 
may operate a turbine-engine-powered 
airplane over a route that contains a 
point— 

(1) Farther than a flying time from 

an Adequate Airport (at a one-engine- 
inoperative cruise speed under stand-
ard conditions in still air) of 60 min-
utes for a two-engine airplane or 180 
minutes for a passenger-carrying air-
plane with more than two engines; 

(2) Within the North Polar Area; or 
(3) Within the South Polar Area. 
(b) Except as provided in paragraph 

(c) of this section, no certificate holder 
may operate a land airplane (other 
than a DC–3, C–46, CV–240, CV–340, CV– 
440, CV–580, CV–600, CV–640, or Martin 
404) in an extended overwater operation 
unless it is certificated or approved as 
adequate for ditching under the ditch-
ing provisions of part 25 of this chap-
ter. 

(c) Until December 20, 2010, a certifi-

cate holder may operate, in an ex-
tended overwater operation, a non-
transport category land airplane type 
certificated after December 31, 1964, 
that was not certificated or approved 
as adequate for ditching under the 
ditching provisions of part 25 of this 
chapter. 

(d) Unless authorized by the Adminis-

trator based on the character of the 
terrain, the kind of operation, or the 
performance of the airplane to be used, 
no certificate holder may operate a re-
ciprocating-engine-powered airplane 
over a route that contains a point far-
ther than 60 minutes flying time (at a 
one-engine-inoperative cruise speed 
under standard conditions in still air) 
from an Adequate Airport. 

(e) Operators of turbine-engine pow-

ered airplanes with more than two en-
gines do not need to meet the require-
ments of paragraph (a)(1) of this sec-
tion until February 15, 2008. 

[Doc. No. 7329, 31 FR 13078, Oct. 8, 1966, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–162, 45 FR 46739, July 
10, 1980; Amdt. 121–251, 60 FR 65927, Dec. 20, 
1995; Amdt. 121–329, 72 FR 1879, Jan. 16, 2007]