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230 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.591 

airplane designed for at least 31 pas-
senger seats (as determined by the air-
craft type certificate issued by a com-
petent civil aviation authority) at any 
land airport in any State of the United 
States, the District of Columbia, or 
any territory or possession of the 
United States. 

United States 

means the States of the 

United States, the District of Colum-
bia, and the territories and possessions 
of the United States. 

N

OTE

: Special Statutory Requirement to 

Operate to or From a Part 139 Airport. Each 
air carrier that provides—in an aircraft (e.g., 
airplane, rotorcraft, etc.) designed for more 
than 9 passenger seats—regularly scheduled 
charter air transportation for which the pub-
lic is provided in advance a schedule con-
taining the departure location, departure 
time, and arrival location of the flight must 
operate to and from an airport certificated 
under part 139 of this chapter in accordance 
with 49 U.S.C. 41104(b). That statutory provi-
sion contains stand-alone requirements for 
such air carriers and special exceptions for 
operations in Alaska and outside the United 
States. Nothing in § 121.590 exempts the air 
carriers described in this note from the re-
quirements of 49 U.S.C. 41104(b). Certain op-
erations by air carriers that conduct public 
charter operations under 14 CFR part 380 are 
covered by the statutory requirements to op-
erate to and from part 139 airports. 

See 

49 

U.S.C. 41104(b). 

[Doc. No. FAA–2000–7479, 69 FR 6424, Feb. 10, 
2004; Amdt. 121–304, 69 FR 31522, June 4, 2004] 

Subpart U—Dispatching and Flight 

Release Rules 

S

OURCE

: Docket No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 

31, 1964, unless otherwise noted. 

§ 121.591 Applicability. 

This subpart prescribes dispatching 

rules for domestic and flag operations 
and flight release rules for supple-
mental operations. 

[Doc. No. 28154, 61 FR 2614, Jan. 26, 1996] 

§ 121.593 Dispatching authority: Do-

mestic operations. 

Except when an airplane lands at an 

intermediate airport specified in the 
original dispatch release and remains 
there for not more than one hour, no 
person may start a flight unless an air-
craft dispatcher specifically authorizes 
that flight. 

§ 121.595 Dispatching authority: Flag 

operations. 

(a) No person may start a flight un-

less an aircraft dispatcher specifically 
authorizes that flight. 

(b) No person may continue a flight 

from an intermediate airport without 
redispatch if the airplane has been on 
the ground more than six hours. 

§ 121.597 Flight release authority: Sup-

plemental operations. 

(a) No person may start a flight 

under a flight following system with-
out specific authority from the person 
authorized by the operator to exercise 
operational control over the flight. 

(b) No person may start a flight un-

less the pilot in command or the person 
authorized by the operator to exercise 
operational control over the flight has 
executed a flight release setting forth 
the conditions under which the flights 
will be conducted. The pilot in com-
mand may sign the flight release only 
when he and the person authorized by 
the operator to exercise operational 
control believe that the flight can be 
made with safety. 

(c) No person may continue a flight 

from an intermediate airport without a 
new flight release if the aircraft has 
been on the ground more than six 
hours. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–3, 30 FR 3639, Mar. 19, 
1965] 

§ 121.599 Familiarity with weather 

conditions. 

(a) 

Domestic and flag operations. 

No 

aircraft dispatcher may release a flight 
unless he is thoroughly familiar with 
reported and forecast weather condi-
tions on the route to be flown. 

(b) 

Supplemental operations. 

No pilot 

in command may begin a flight unless 
he is thoroughly familiar with reported 
and forecast weather conditions on the 
route to be flown. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2614, Jan. 
26, 1996] 

§ 121.601 Aircraft dispatcher informa-

tion to pilot in command: Domestic 

and flag operations. 

(a) The aircraft dispatcher shall pro-

vide the pilot in command all available 

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231 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.613 

current reports or information on air-
port conditions and irregularities of 
navigation facilities that may affect 
the safety of the flight. 

(b) Before beginning a flight, the air-

craft dispatcher shall provide the pilot 
in command with all available weather 
reports and forecasts of weather phe-
nomena that may affect the safety of 
flight, including adverse weather phe-
nomena, such as clear air turbulence, 
thunderstorms, and low altitude wind 
shear, for each route to be flown and 
each airport to be used. 

(c) During a flight, the aircraft dis-

patcher shall provide the pilot in com-
mand any additional available infor-
mation of meteorological conditions 
(including adverse weather phenomena, 
such as clear air turbulence, thunder-
storms, and low altitude wind shear), 
and irregularities of facilities and serv-
ices that may affect the safety of the 
flight. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–134, 42 FR 27573, May 
31, 1977; Amdt. 121–144, 43 FR 22649, May 25, 
1978; Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2614, Jan. 26, 1996] 

§ 121.603 Facilities and services: Sup-

plemental operations. 

(a) Before beginning a flight, each 

pilot in command shall obtain all 
available current reports or informa-
tion on airport conditions and irreg-
ularities of navigation facilities that 
may affect the safety of the flight. 

(b) During a flight, the pilot in com-

mand shall obtain any additional avail-
able information of meteorological 
conditions and irregularities of facili-
ties and services that may affect the 
safety of the flight. 

§ 121.605 Airplane equipment. 

No person may dispatch or release an 

airplane unless it is airworthy and is 
equipped as prescribed in § 121.303. 

§ 121.607 Communication and naviga-

tion facilities: Domestic and flag op-

erations. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b) of this section for a certificate hold-
er conducting flag operations, no per-
son may dispatch an airplane over an 
approved route or route segment unless 
the communication and navigation fa-
cilities required by §§ 121.99 and 121.103 

for the approval of that route or seg-
ment are in satisfactory operating con-
dition. 

(b) If, because of technical reasons or 

other reasons beyond the control of a 
certificate holder conducting flag oper-
ations, the facilities required by 
§§ 121.99 and 121.103 are not available 
over a route or route segment outside 
the United States, the certificate hold-
er may dispatch an airplane over that 
route or route segment if the pilot in 
command and dispatcher find that 
communication and navigation facili-
ties equal to those required are avail-
able and are in satisfactory operating 
condition. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2614, Jan. 
26, 1996] 

§ 121.609 Communication and naviga-

tion facilities: Supplemental oper-
ations. 

No person may release an aircraft 

over any route or route segment unless 
communication and navigation facili-
ties equal to those required by § 121.121 
are in satisfactory operating condition. 

§ 121.611 Dispatch or flight release 

under VFR. 

No person may dispatch or release an 

aircraft for VFR operation unless the 
ceiling and visibility en route, as indi-
cated by available weather reports or 
forecasts, or any combination thereof, 
are and will remain at or above appli-
cable VFR minimums until the aircraft 
arrives at the airport or airports speci-
fied in the dispatch or flight release. 

§ 121.613 Dispatch or flight release 

under IFR or over the top. 

Except as provided in § 121.615, no per-

son may dispatch or release an aircraft 
for operations under IFR or over-the- 
top, unless appropriate weather reports 
or forecasts, or any combination there-
of, indicate that the weather condi-
tions will be at or above the authorized 
minimums at the estimated time of ar-
rival at the airport or airports to 
which dispatched or released. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–33, 32 FR 13912, Oct. 6, 
1967]