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204 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.473 

begin no later than 24 hours after the 
commencement of the reduced rest pe-
riod. 

(3) A rest required under paragraph 

(b)(3) of this section may be scheduled 
for or reduced to a minimum of 9 hours 
if the flight crewmember is given a rest 
period of at least 12 hours that must 
begin no later than 24 hours after the 
commencement of the reduced rest pe-
riod. 

(4) No certificate holder may assign, 

nor may any flight crewmember per-
form any flight time with the certifi-
cate holder unless the flight crew-
member has had at least the minimum 
rest required under this paragraph. 

(d) Each certificate holder con-

ducting domestic operations shall re-
lieve each flight crewmember engaged 
in scheduled air transportation from 
all further duty for at least 24 consecu-
tive hours during any 7 consecutive 
days. 

(e) No certificate holder conducting 

domestic operations may assign any 
flight crewmember and no flight crew-
member may accept assignment to any 
duty with the air carrier during any re-
quired rest period. 

(f) Time spent in transportation, not 

local in character, that a certificate 
holder requires of a flight crewmember 
and provides to transport the crew-
member to an airport at which he is to 
serve on a flight as a crewmember, or 
from an airport at which he was re-
lieved from duty to return to his home 
station, is not considered part of a rest 
period. 

(g) A flight crewmember is not con-

sidered to be scheduled for flight time 
in excess of flight time limitations if 
the flights to which he is assigned are 
scheduled and normally terminate 
within the limitations, but due to cir-
cumstances beyond the control of the 
certificate holder (such as adverse 
weather conditions), are not at the 
time of departure expected to reach 
their destination within the scheduled 
time. 

[Doc. No. 23634, 50 FR 29319, July 18, 1985, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2612, Jan. 
26, 1996] 

§ 121.473 Fatigue risk management 

system. 

(a) No certificate holder may exceed 

any provision of this subpart unless ap-
proved by the FAA under a Fatigue 
Risk Management System. 

(b) The Fatigue Risk Management 

System must include: 

(1) A fatigue risk management pol-

icy. 

(2) An education and awareness train-

ing program. 

(3) A fatigue reporting system. 
(4) A system for monitoring 

flightcrew fatigue. 

(5) An incident reporting process. 
(6) A performance evaluation. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2009–1093, 77 FR 403, Jan. 4, 
2012] 

Subpart R—Flight Time Limitations: 

Flag Operations 

S

OURCE

: Docket No. 6258, 29 FR 19217, Dec. 

31, 1964; 30 FR 3639, Mar. 19, 1965, unless oth-
erwise noted. 

§ 121.480 Applicability. 

This subpart prescribes flight time 

limitations and rest requirements for 
flag all-cargo operations, except that: 

(a) Certificate holders conducting op-

erations with aircraft having a pas-
senger seat configuration of 30 seats or 
fewer, excluding each crewmember 
seat, and a payload capacity of 7,500 
pounds or less, may comply with the 
applicable requirements of §§ 135.261 
through 135.273 of this chapter. 

(b) A certificate holder may apply 

the flightcrew member flight time and 
duty limitations and requirements of 
part 117 of this chapter. A certificate 
holder may choose to apply part 117 to 
its— 

(1) All-cargo operations conducted 

under contract to a U.S. government 
agency. 

(2) All-cargo operations not con-

ducted under contract to a U.S. Gov-
ernment agency, 

(3) A certificate holder may elect to 

treat operations in paragraphs (b)(1) 
and (b) (2) of this section differently 
but, once having decided to conduct 
those operations under part 117, may 

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205 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.485 

not segregate those operations between 
this subpart and part 117. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2009–1093, 77 FR 403, Jan. 4, 
2012, as amended by Docket No. FAA–2022– 
1563; Amdt. No. 121–390, 88 FR 48090, July 26, 
2023] 

§ 121.481 Flight time limitations: One 

or two pilot crews. 

(a) A certificate holder conducting 

flag operations may schedule a pilot to 
fly in an airplane that has a crew of 
one or two pilots for eight hours or less 
during any 24 consecutive hours with-
out a rest period during these eight 
hours. 

(b) If a certificate holder conducting 

flag operations schedules a pilot to fly 
more than eight hours during any 24 
consecutive hours, it shall give him an 
intervening rest period, at or before 
the end of eight scheduled hours of 
flight duty. This rest period must be at 
least twice the number of hours flown 
since the preceding rest period, but not 
less than eight hours. The certificate 
holder shall relieve that pilot of all 
duty with it during that rest period. 

(c) Each pilot who has flown more 

than eight hours during 24 consecutive 
hours must be given at least 18 hours of 
rest before being assigned to any duty 
with the certificate holder. 

(d) No pilot may fly more than 32 

hours during any seven consecutive 
days, and each pilot must be relieved 
from all duty for at least 24 consecu-
tive hours at least once during any 
seven consecutive days. 

(e) No pilot may fly as a member of 

a crew more than 100 hours during any 
one calendar month. 

(f) No pilot may fly as a member of a 

crew more than 1,000 hours during any 
12-calendar-month period. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19217, Dec. 31, 1964; 30 
FR 3639, Mar. 19, 1965, as amended by Amdt. 
121–253, 61 FR 2612, Jan. 26, 1996] 

§ 121.483 Flight time limitations: Two 

pilots and one additional flight 

crewmember. 

(a) No certificate holder conducting 

flag operations may schedule a pilot to 
fly, in an airplane that has a crew of 
two pilots and at least one additional 
flight crewmember, for a total of more 
than 12 hours during any 24 consecutive 
hours. 

(b) If a pilot has flown 20 or more 

hours during any 48 consecutive hours 
or 24 or more hours during any 72 con-
secutive hours, he must be given at 
least 18 hours of rest before being as-
signed to any duty with the air carrier. 
In any case, he must be given at least 
24 consecutive hours of rest during any 
seven consecutive days. 

(c) No pilot may fly as a flight crew-

member more than— 

(1) 120 hours during any 30 consecu-

tive days; 

(2) 300 hours during any 90 consecu-

tive days; or 

(3) 1,000 hours during any 12-calendar- 

month period. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19217, Dec. 31, 1964; 30 
FR 3639, Mar. 19, 1965, as amended by Amdt. 
121–253, 61 FR 2612, Jan. 26, 1996] 

§ 121.485 Flight time limitations: Three 

or more pilots and an additional 
flight crewmember. 

(a) Each certificate holder con-

ducting flag operations shall schedule 
its flight hours to provide adequate 
rest periods on the ground for each 
pilot who is away from his base and 
who is a pilot on an airplane that has 
a crew of three or more pilots and an 
additional flight crewmember. It shall 
also provide adequate sleeping quarters 
on the airplane whenever a pilot is 
scheduled to fly more than 12 hours 
during any 24 consecutive hours. 

(b) The certificate holder conducting 

flag operations shall give each pilot, 
upon return to his base from any flight 
or series of flights, a rest period that is 
at least twice the total number of 
hours he flew since the last rest period 
at his base. During the rest period re-
quired by this paragraph, the air car-
rier may not require him to perform 
any duty for it. If the required rest pe-
riod is more than seven days, that part 
of the rest period in excess of seven 
days may be given at any time before 
the pilot is again scheduled for flight 
duty on any route. 

(c) No pilot may fly as a flight crew-

member more than— 

(1) 350 hours during any 90 consecu-

tive days; or