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195 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.439 

(i) Second in command in operations 

under this part; 

(ii) Pilot in command in operations 

under § 91.1053(a)(2)(i) of this chapter; 

(iii) Pilot in command in operations 

under § 135.243(a)(1) of this chapter; 

(iv) Pilot in command in eligible on- 

demand operations that require the 
pilot to satisfy § 135.4(a)(2)(ii)(A) of this 
chapter; or 

(v) Any combination thereof. 
(b) No certificate holder may use nor 

may any pilot act as second in com-
mand unless the pilot holds an airline 
transport pilot certificate and an ap-
propriate aircraft type rating for the 
aircraft being flown. A second-in-com-
mand type rating obtained under § 61.55 
does not satisfy the requirements of 
this section. 

(c) For the purpose of satisfying the 

flight hour requirement in paragraph 
(a)(3) of this section, a pilot may credit 
500 hours of military flight time pro-
vided the flight time was obtained— 

(1) As pilot in command in a multien-

gine, turbine-powered, fixed-wing air-
plane or powered-lift aircraft, or any 
combination thereof; and 

(2) In an operation requiring more 

than one pilot. 

(d) For the purpose of satisfying the 

flight hour requirement in paragraph 
(a)(3) of this section, a pilot may credit 
flight time obtained as pilot in com-
mand in operations under this part 
prior to July 31, 2013. 

(e) For those pilots who were em-

ployed as pilot in command in part 121 
operations on July 31, 2013, compliance 
with the requirements of paragraph 
(a)(3) of this section is not required. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2010–0100, 78 FR 42378, July 15, 
2013, as amended by Amdt. 121–365A, 78 FR 
77574, Dec. 24, 2013; Amdt. 121–385, 87 FR 57590, 
Sept. 21, 2022] 

§ 121.438 Pilot operating limitations 

and pairing requirements. 

(a) If the second in command has 

fewer than 100 hours of flight time as 
second in command in operations under 
this part in the type airplane being 
flown, and the pilot in command is not 
an appropriately qualified check pilot, 
the pilot in command must make all 
takeoffs and landings in the following 
situations: 

(1) At special airports designated by 

the Administrator or at special air-
ports designated by the certificate 
holder; and 

(2) In any of the following conditions: 
(i) The prevailing visibility value in 

the latest weather report for the air-
port is at or below 

3

4

mile. 

(ii) The runway visual range for the 

runway to be used is at or below 4,000 
feet. 

(iii) The runway to be used has 

water, snow, slush or similar condi-
tions that may adversely affect air-
plane performance. 

(iv) The braking action on the run-

way to be used is reported to be less 
than ‘‘good’’. 

(v) The crosswind component for the 

runway to be used is in excess of 15 
knots. 

(vi) Windshear is reported in the vi-

cinity of the airport. 

(vii) Any other condition in which 

the PIC determines it to be prudent to 
exercise the PIC’s prerogative. 

(b) No person may conduct oper-

ations under this part unless, for that 
type airplane, either the pilot in com-
mand or the second in command has at 
least 75 hours of line operating flight 
time, either as pilot in command or 
second in command. The Administrator 
may, upon application by the certifi-
cate holder, authorize deviations from 
the requirements of this paragraph (b) 
by an appropriate amendment to the 
operations specifications in any of the 
following circumstances: 

(1) A newly certificated certificate 

holder does not employ any pilots who 
meet the minimum requirements of 
this paragraph. 

(2) An existing certificate holder adds 

to its fleet a type airplane not before 
proven for use in its operations. 

(3) An existing certificate holder es-

tablishes a new domicile to which it as-
signs pilots who will be required to be-
come qualified on the airplanes oper-
ated from that domicile. 

[Doc. No. 27210, 60 FR 20870, Apr. 27, 1995] 

§ 121.439 Pilot qualification: Recent 

experience. 

(a) No certificate holder may use any 

person nor may any person serve as a 
required pilot flightcrew member, un-
less within the preceding 90 days, that 

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196 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.440 

person has made at least three takeoffs 
and landings in the type airplane in 
which that person is to serve. The 
takeoffs and landings required by this 
paragraph may be performed in a Level 
B or higher FFS approved under 
§ 121.407 to include takeoff and landing 
maneuvers. In addition, any person 
who fails to make the three required 
takeoffs and landings within any con-
secutive 90-day period must re-estab-
lish recency of experience as provided 
in paragraph (b) of this section. 

(b) In addition to meeting all applica-

ble training and checking requirements 
of this part, a required pilot flightcrew 
member who has not met the require-
ments of paragraph (a) of this section 
must re-establish recency of experience 
as follows: 

(1) Under the supervision of a check 

airman, make at least three takeoffs 
and landings in the type airplane in 
which that person is to serve or in a 
Level B or higher FFS. 

(2) The takeoffs and landings re-

quired in paragraph (b)(1) of this sec-
tion must include— 

(i) At least one takeoff with a simu-

lated failure of the most critical pow-
erplant; 

(ii) At least one landing from an ILS 

approach to the lowest ILS minimum 
authorized for the certificate holder; 
and 

(iii) At least one landing to a full 

stop. 

(c) [Reserved] 
(d) When using an FFS to accomplish 

any of the requirements of paragraphs 
(a) or (b) of this section, each required 
flightcrew member position must be 
occupied by an appropriately qualified 
person, and the FFS must be operated 
as if in a normal inflight environment 
without use of the repositioning fea-
tures of the FFS. 

(e) A check airman who observes the 

takeoffs and landings prescribed in 
paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall 
certify that the person being observed 
is proficient and qualified to perform 
flight duty in operations under this 
part and may require any additional 
maneuvers that are determined nec-
essary to make this certifying state-
ment. 

(f) Deviation authority based upon 

designation of related aircraft in ac-
cordance with § 121.418(b). 

(1) The Administrator may authorize 

a deviation from the requirements of 
paragraph (a) of this section based 
upon a designation of related aircraft 
in accordance with § 121.418(b) of this 
part and a determination that the cer-
tificate holder can demonstrate an 
equivalent level of safety. 

(2) A request for deviation from para-

graph (a) of this section must be sub-
mitted to the Administrator. The re-
quest must include the following: 

(i) Identification of aircraft operated 

by the certificate holder designated as 
related aircraft. 

(ii) The number of takeoffs, landings, 

maneuvers, and procedures necessary 
to maintain or re-establish recency 
based on review of the related aircraft, 
the operation, and the duty position. 

(3) The administrator may, at any 

time, terminate a grant of deviation 
authority issued under this paragraph 
(f). 

[Doc. No. 16383, 43 FR 22648, May 25, 1978, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–148, 43 FR 46235, Oct. 
5, 1978; Amdt. 121–179, 47 FR 33390, Aug. 2, 
1982; Amdt. 121–366, 78 FR 67841, Nov. 12, 2013; 
Amdt. 121–382, 85 FR 10926, Feb. 25, 2020] 

§ 121.440 Line checks. 

(a) No certificate holder may use any 

person nor may any person serve as 
pilot in command of an airplane unless, 
within the preceding 12 calendar 
months, that person has passed a line 
check in which he satisfactorily per-
forms the duties and responsibilities of 
a pilot in command in one of the types 
of airplanes he is to fly. 

(b) A pilot in command line check for 

domestic and flag operations must— 

(1) Be given by a pilot check airman 

who is currently qualified on both the 
route and the airplane; and 

(2) Consist of at least one flight over 

a typical part of the certificate hold-
er’s route, or over a foreign or Federal 
airway, or over a direct route. 

(c) A pilot in command line check for 

supplemental operations must— 

(1) Be given by a pilot check airman 

who is currently qualified on the air-
plane; and