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209 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.525 

holder. In any case, he must be relieved 
of all duty for at least 24 consecutive 
hours during any seven consecutive 
days. 

(c) No airman may be aloft as a flight 

crewmember more than— 

(1) 120 hours during any 30 consecu-

tive days; or 

(2) 300 hours during any 90 consecu-

tive days. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19218, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–17, 31 FR 1147, Jan. 28, 
1966; Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2613, Jan. 26, 1996] 

§ 121.523 Flight time limitations: Crew 

of three or more pilots and addi-

tional airmen as required. 

(a) No certificate holder conducting 

supplemental operations may schedule 
an airman for flight deck duty as a 
flight engineer, or navigator in a crew 
of three or more pilots and additional 
airmen for a total of more than 12 
hours during any 24 consecutive hours. 

(b) Each certificate holder con-

ducting supplemental operations shall 
schedule its flight hours to provide 
adequate rest periods on the ground for 
each airman who is away from his prin-
cipal operations base. It shall also pro-
vide adequate sleeping quarters on the 
airplane whenever an airman is sched-
uled to be aloft as a flight crewmember 
for more than 12 hours during any 24 
consecutive hours. 

(c) No certificate holder conducting 

supplemental operations may schedule 
any flight crewmember to be on contin-
uous duty for more than 30 hours. Such 
a crewmember is considered to be on 
continuous duty from the time he re-
ports for duty until the time he is re-
leased from duty for a rest period of at 
least 10 hours on the ground. If a flight 
crewmember is on continuous duty for 
more than 24 hours (whether scheduled 
or not) during any scheduled duty pe-
riod, he must be given at least 16 hours 
for rest on the ground after completing 
the last flight scheduled for that sched-
uled duty period before being assigned 
any further flight duty. 

(d) If a flight crewmember is required 

to engage in deadhead transportation 
for more than four hours before begin-
ning flight duty, one half of the time 
spent in deadhead transportation must 
be treated as duty time for the purpose 
of complying with duty time limita-

tions, unless he is given at least 10 
hours of rest on the ground before 
being assigned to flight duty. 

(e) Each certificate holder con-

ducting supplemental operations shall 
give each airman, upon return to his 
operations base from any flight or se-
ries of flights, a rest period that is at 
least twice the total number of hours 
he was aloft as a flight crewmember 
since the last rest period at his base, 
before assigning him to any further 
duty. If the required rest period is 
more than seven days, that part of the 
rest period that is more than seven 
days may be given at any time before 
the pilot is again scheduled for flight 
duty. 

(f) No airman may be aloft as a flight 

crewmember for more than 350 hours in 
any 90 consecutive days. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19218, Dec. 31, 1964; 30 
FR 3639, Mar. 19, 1965, as amended by Amdt. 
121–253, 61 FR 2613, Jan. 26, 1996; Amdt. 121– 
387, 87 FR 75846, Dec. 9, 2022] 

§ 121.525 Flight time limitations: Pilots 

serving in more than one kind of 

flight crew. 

(a) This section applies to each pilot 

assigned during any 30 consecutive 
days to more than one type of flight 
crew. 

(b) The flight time limitations for a 

pilot who is scheduled for duty aloft for 
more than 20 hours in two-pilot crews 
in 30 consecutive days, or whose assign-
ment in such a crew is interrupted 
more than once in any 30 consecutive 
days by assignment to a crew of two or 
more pilots and an additional flight 
crewmember, are those listed in 
§§ 121.503 through 121.509, as appro-
priate. 

(c) Except for a pilot covered by para-

graph (b) of this section, the flight 
time limitations for a pilot scheduled 
for duty aloft for more than 20 hours in 
two-pilot and additional flight crew-
member crews in 30 consecutive days or 
whose assignment in such a crew is in-
terrupted more than once in any 30 
consecutive days by assignment to a 
crew consisting of three pilots and an 
additional flight crewmember, are 
those set forth in § 121.521. 

(d) The flight time limitations for a 

pilot to whom paragraphs (b) and (c) of 
this section do not apply, and who is 

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210 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.527 

scheduled for duty aloft for a total of 
not more than 20 hours within 30 con-
secutive days in two-pilot crews (with 
or without additional flight crew-
members) are those set forth in 
§ 121.523. 

(e) The flight time limitations for a 

pilot assigned to each of two-pilot, 
two-pilot and additional flight crew-
member, and three-pilot and additional 
flight crewmember crews in 30 consecu-
tive days, and who is not subject to 
paragraph (b), (c), or (d) of this section, 
are those listed in § 121.523. 

§ 121.527 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 T—Flight Operations 

S

OURCE

: Docket No. 6258, 29 FR 19219, Dec. 

31, 1964, unless otherwise noted. 

§ 121.531 Applicability. 

This subpart prescribes requirements 

for flight operations applicable to all 
certificate holders, except where other-
wise specified. 

§ 121.533 Responsibility for oper-

ational control: Domestic oper-

ations. 

(a) Each certificate holder con-

ducting domestic operations is respon-
sible for operational control. 

(b) The pilot in command and the air-

craft dispatcher are jointly responsible 
for the preflight planning, delay, and 
dispatch release of a flight in compli-
ance with this chapter and operations 
specifications. 

(c) The aircraft dispatcher is respon-

sible for— 

(1) Monitoring the progress of each 

flight; 

(2) Issuing necessary information for 

the safety of the flight; and 

(3) Cancelling or redispatching a 

flight if, in his opinion or the opinion 
of the pilot in command, the flight can-
not operate or continue to operate 
safely as planned or released. 

(d) Each pilot in command of an air-

craft is, during flight time, in com-
mand of the aircraft and crew and is re-
sponsible for the safety of the pas-
sengers, crewmembers, cargo, and air-
plane. 

(e) Each pilot in command has full 

control and authority in the operation 
of the aircraft, without limitation, 
over other crewmembers and their du-
ties during flight time, whether or not 
he holds valid certificates authorizing 
him to perform the duties of those 
crewmembers. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19219, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2613, Jan. 
26, 1996] 

§ 121.535 Responsibility for oper-

ational control: Flag operations. 

(a) Each certificate holder con-

ducting flag operations is responsible 
for operational control. 

(b) The pilot in command and the air-

craft dispatcher are jointly responsible 
for the preflight planning, delay, and 
dispatch release of a flight in compli-
ance with this chapter and operations 
specifications. 

(c) The aircraft dispatcher is respon-

sible for— 

(1) Monitoring the progress of each 

flight; 

(2) Issuing necessary instructions and 

information for the safety of the flight; 
and 

(3) Cancelling or redispatching a 

flight if, in his opinion or the opinion 
of the pilot in command, the flight can-
not operate or continue to operate 
safely as planned or released. 

(d) Each pilot in command of an air-

craft is, during flight time, in com-
mand of the aircraft and crew and is re-
sponsible for the safety of the pas-
sengers, crewmembers, cargo, and air-
plane.