115 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.305 

(e) For a type and model airplane for 

which the simulated ditching specified 
in paragraph (d) has been conducted by 
a part 121 certificate holder, the re-
quirements of paragraphs (b)(2), (b)(4), 
and (b)(5) of appendix D to this part are 
complied with if each life raft is re-
moved from stowage, one life raft is 
launched and inflated (or one slide life 
raft is inflated) and crewmembers as-
signed to the inflated life raft display 
and describe the use of each item of re-
quired emergency equipment. The life 
raft or slide life raft to be inflated will 
be selected by the Administrator. 

[Doc. No. 21269, 46 FR 61453, Dec. 17, 1981, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–233, 58 FR 45230, Aug. 
26, 1993; Amdt. 121–251, 60 FR 65929, Dec. 20, 
1995; Amdt. 121–307, 69 FR 67499, Nov. 17, 2004; 
Docket FAA–2018–0119, Amdt. 121–380, 83 FR 
9172, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 121.293 Special airworthiness re-

quirements for nontransport cat-
egory airplanes type certificated 
after December 31, 1964. 

No certificate holder may operate a 

nontransport category airplane manu-
factured after December 20, 1999 unless 
the airplane contains a takeoff warning 
system that meets the requirements of 
14 CFR 25.703. However, the takeoff 
warning system does not have to cover 
any device for which it has been dem-
onstrated that takeoff with that device 
in the most adverse position would not 
create a hazardous condition. 

[Doc. No. 28154, 60 FR 65929, Dec. 20, 1995] 

§ 121.295 Location for a suspect device. 

After November 28, 2009, all airplanes 

with a maximum certificated passenger 
seating capacity of more than 60 per-
sons must have a location where a sus-
pected explosive or incendiary device 
found in flight can be placed to mini-
mize the risk to the airplane. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2006–26722, 73 FR 63880, Oct. 
28, 2008] 

Subpart K—Instrument and 

Equipment Requirements 

S

OURCE

: Docket No. 6258, 29 FR 19205, Dec. 

31, 1964, unless otherwise noted. 

§ 121.301 Applicability. 

This subpart prescribes instrument 

and equipment requirements for all 
certificate holders. 

§ 121.303 Airplane instruments and 

equipment. 

(a) Unless otherwise specified, the in-

strument and equipment requirements 
of this subpart apply to all operations 
under this part. 

(b) Instruments and equipment re-

quired by §§ 121.305 through 121.359 and 
121.803 must be approved and installed 
in accordance with the airworthiness 
requirements applicable to them. 

(c) Each airspeed indicator must be 

calibrated in knots, and each airspeed 
limitation and item of related informa-
tion in the Airplane Flight Manual and 
pertinent placards must be expressed in 
knots. 

(d) Except as provided in §§ 121.627(b) 

and 121.628, no person may take off any 
airplane unless the following instru-
ments and equipment are in operable 
condition: 

(1) Instruments and equipment re-

quired to comply with airworthiness 
requirements under which the airplane 
is type certificated and as required by 
§§ 121.213 through 121.283 and 121.289. 

(2) Instruments and equipment speci-

fied in §§ 121.305 through 121.321, 121.359, 
121.360, and 121.803 for all operations, 
and the instruments and equipment 
specified in §§ 121.323 through 121.351 for 
the kind of operation indicated, wher-
ever these items are not already re-
quired by paragraph (d)(1) of this sec-
tion. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19202, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–44, 33 FR 14406, Sept. 
25, 1968; Amdt. 121–65, 35 FR 12709, Aug. 11, 
1970; Amdt. 121–114, 39 FR 44440, Dec. 24, 1974; 
Amdt. 121–126, 40 FR 55314, Nov. 28, 1975; 
Amdt. 121–222, 56 FR 12310, Mar. 22, 1991; 
Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2611, Jan. 26, 1996; Amdt. 
121–281, 66 FR 19043, Apr. 12, 2001] 

§ 121.305 Flight and navigational 

equipment. 

No person may operate an airplane 

unless it is equipped with the following 
flight and navigational instruments 
and equipment: 

(a) An airspeed indicating system 

with heated pitot tube or equivalent 

116 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.306 

means for preventing malfunctioning 
due to icing. 

(b) A sensitive altimeter. 
(c) A sweep-second hand clock (or ap-

proved equivalent). 

(d) A free-air temperature indicator. 
(e) A gyroscopic bank and pitch indi-

cator (artificial horizon). 

(f) A gyroscopic rate-of-turn indi-

cator combined with an integral slip- 
skid indicator (turn-and-bank indi-
cator) except that only a slip-skid indi-
cator is required when a third attitude 
instrument system usable through 
flight attitudes of 360

° 

of pitch and roll 

is installed in accordance with para-
graph (k) of this section. 

(g) A gyroscopic direction indicator 

(directional gyro or equivalent). 

(h) A magnetic compass. 
(i) A vertical speed indicator (rate-of- 

climb indicator). 

(j) On the airplane described in this 

paragraph, in addition to two gyro-
scopic bank and pitch indicators (arti-
ficial horizons) for use at the pilot sta-
tions, a third such instrument is in-
stalled in accordance with paragraph 
(k) of this section: 

(1) On each turbojet powered air-

plane. 

(2) On each turbopropeller powered 

airplane having a passenger-seat con-
figuration of more than 30 seats, ex-
cluding each crewmember seat, or a 
payload capacity of more than 7,500 
pounds. 

(3) On each turbopropeller powered 

airplane having a passenger-seat con-
figuration of 30 seats or fewer, exclud-
ing each crewmember seat, and a pay-
load capacity of 7,500 pounds or less 
that is manufactured on or after March 
20, 1997. 

(4) After December 20, 2010, on each 

turbopropeller powered airplane having 
a passenger seat configuration of 10–30 
seats and a payload capacity of 7,500 
pounds or less that was manufactured 
before March 20, 1997. 

(k) When required by paragraph (j) of 

this section, a third gyroscopic bank- 
and-pitch indicator (artificial horizon) 
that: 

(1) Is powered from a source inde-

pendent of the electrical generating 
system; 

(2) Continues reliable operation for a 

minimum of 30 minutes after total fail-
ure of the electrical generating system; 

(3) Operates independently of any 

other attitude indicating system; 

(4) Is operative without selection 

after total failure of the electrical gen-
erating system; 

(5) Is located on the instrument panel 

in a position acceptable to the Admin-
istrator that will make it plainly visi-
ble to and usable by each pilot at his or 
her station; and 

(6) Is appropriately lighted during all 

phases of operation. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19205, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–57, 35 FR 304, Jan. 8, 
1970; Amdt. 121–60, 35 FR 7108, May 6, 1970; 
Amdt. 121–81, 36 FR 23050, Dec. 3, 1971; Amdt. 
121–130, 41 FR 47229, Oct. 28, 1976; Amdt. 121– 
230, 58 FR 12158, Mar. 3, 1993; Amdt. 121–251, 60 
FR 65929, Dec. 20, 1995; Amdt. 121–262, 62 FR 
13256, Mar. 19, 1997] 

§ 121.306 Portable electronic devices. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b) of this section, no person may oper-
ate, nor may any operator or pilot in 
command of an aircraft allow the oper-
ation of, any portable electronic device 
on any U.S.-registered civil aircraft op-
erating under this part. 

(b) Paragraph (a) of this section does 

not apply to— 

(1) Portable voice recorders; 
(2) Hearing aids; 
(3) Heart pacemakers; 
(4) Electric shavers; 
(5) Portable oxygen concentrators 

that comply with the requirements in 
§ 121.574; or 

(6) Any other portable electronic de-

vice that the part 119 certificate holder 
has determined will not cause inter-
ference with the navigation or commu-
nication system of the aircraft on 
which it is to be used. 

(c) The determination required by 

paragraph (b)(6) of this section shall be 
made by that part 119 certificate holder 
operating the particular device to be 
used. 

[Doc. No. FAA–1998–4954, 64 FR 1080, Jan. 7, 
1999, as amended by Docket FAA–2014–0554, 
Amdt. 121–374, 81 FR 33118, May 24, 2016] 

§ 121.307 Engine instruments. 

Unless the Administrator allows or 

requires different instrumentation for