238 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.641 

for 30 minutes at normal cruising fuel 
consumption for day VFR operations. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–251, 60 FR 65935, Dec. 
20, 1995] 

§ 121.641 Fuel supply: Nonturbine and 

turbo-propeller-powered airplanes: 

Flag operations. 

(a) No person may dispatch or take 

off a nonturbine or turbo-propeller- 
powered airplane unless, considering 
the wind and other weather conditions 
expected, it has enough fuel— 

(1) To fly to and land at the airport 

to which it is dispatched; 

(2) Thereafter, to fly to and land at 

the most distant alternate airport 
specified in the dispatch release; and 

(3) Thereafter, to fly for 30 minutes 

plus 15 percent of the total time re-
quired to fly at normal cruising fuel 
consumption to the airports specified 
in paragraphs (a) (1) and (2) of this sec-
tion or to fly for 90 minutes at normal 
cruising fuel consumption, whichever 
is less. 

(b) No person may dispatch a nontur-

bine or turbo-propeller-powered air-
plane to an airport for which an alter-
nate is not specified under 
§ 121.621(a)(2), unless it has enough fuel, 
considering wind and forecast weather 
conditions, to fly to that airport and 
thereafter to fly for three hours at nor-
mal cruising fuel consumption. 

§ 121.643 Fuel supply: Nonturbine and 

turbo-propeller-powered airplanes: 

Supplemental operations. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b) of this section, no person may re-
lease for flight or takeoff a nonturbine 
or turbo-propeller-powered airplane un-
less, considering the wind and other 
weather conditions expected, it has 
enough fuel— 

(1) To fly to and land at the airport 

to which it is released; 

(2) Thereafter, to fly to and land at 

the most distant alternate airport 
specified in the flight release; and 

(3) Thereafter, to fly for 45 minutes 

at normal cruising fuel consumption 
or, for certificate holders who are au-
thorized to conduct day VFR oper-
ations in their operations specifica-
tions and who are operating non-
transport category airplanes type cer-

tificated after December 31, 1964, to fly 
for 30 minutes at normal cruising fuel 
consumption for day VFR operations. 

(b) If the airplane is released for any 

flight other than from one point in the 
contiguous United States to another 
point in the contiguous United States, 
it must carry enough fuel to meet the 
requirements of paragraphs (a) (1) and 
(2) of this section and thereafter fly for 
30 minutes plus 15 percent of the total 
time required to fly at normal cruising 
fuel consumption to the airports speci-
fied in paragraphs (a) (1) and (2) of this 
section, or to fly for 90 minutes at nor-
mal cruising fuel consumption, which-
ever is less. 

(c) No person may release a nontur-

bine or turbo-propeller-powered air-
plane to an airport for which an alter-
nate is not specified under § 121.623(b), 
unless it has enough fuel, considering 
wind and other weather conditions ex-
pected, to fly to that airport and there-
after to fly for three hours at normal 
cruising fuel consumption. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–10, 30 FR 10025, Aug. 
12, 1965; Amdt. 121–251, 60 FR 65935, Dec. 20, 
1995] 

§ 121.645 Fuel supply: Turbine-engine 

powered airplanes, other than 
turbo propeller: Flag and supple-
mental operations. 

(a) Any flag operation within the 48 

contiguous United States and the Dis-
trict of Columbia may use the fuel re-
quirements of § 121.639. 

(b) For any certificate holder con-

ducting flag or supplemental oper-
ations outside the 48 contiguous United 
States and the District of Columbia, 
unless authorized by the Administrator 
in the operations specifications, no per-
son may release for flight or takeoff a 
turbine-engine powered airplane (other 
than a turbo-propeller powered air-
plane) unless, considering wind and 
other weather conditions expected, it 
has enough fuel— 

(1) To fly to and land at the airport 

to which it is released; 

(2) After that, to fly for a period of 10 

percent of the total time required to 
fly from the airport of departure to, 
and land at, the airport to which it was 
released; 

239 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.646 

(3) After that, to fly to and land at 

the most distant alternate airport 
specified in the flight release, if an al-
ternate is required; and 

(4) After that, to fly for 30 minutes at 

holding speed at 1,500 feet above the al-
ternate airport (or the destination air-
port if no alternate is required) under 
standard temperature conditions. 

(c) No person may release a turbine- 

engine powered airplane (other than a 
turbo-propeller airplane) to an airport 
for which an alternate is not specified 
under § 121.621(a)(2) or § 121.623(b) unless 
it has enough fuel, considering wind 
and other weather conditions expected, 
to fly to that airport and thereafter to 
fly for at least two hours at normal 
cruising fuel consumption. 

(d) The Administrator may amend 

the operations specifications of a cer-
tificate holder conducting flag or sup-
plemental operations to require more 
fuel than any of the minimums stated 
in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section if 
he finds that additional fuel is nec-
essary on a particular route in the in-
terest of safety. 

(e) For a supplemental operation 

within the 48 contiguous States and 
the District of Columbia with a turbine 
engine powered airplane the fuel re-
quirements of § 121.643 apply. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–10, 30 FR 10025, Aug. 
12, 1965; Amdt. 121–144, 43 FR 22649, May 25, 
1978; Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2615, Jan. 26, 1996] 

§ 121.646 En-route fuel supply: flag and 

supplemental operations. 

(a) No person may dispatch or release 

for flight a turbine-engine powered air-
plane with more than two engines for a 
flight more than 90 minutes (with all 
engines operating at cruise power) 
from an Adequate Airport unless the 
following fuel supply requirements are 
met: 

(1) The airplane has enough fuel to 

meet the requirements of § 121.645(b); 

(2) The airplane has enough fuel to 

fly to the Adequate Airport— 

(i) Assuming a rapid decompression 

at the most critical point; 

(ii) Assuming a descent to a safe alti-

tude in compliance with the oxygen 
supply requirements of § 121.333; and 

(iii) Considering expected wind and 

other weather conditions. 

(3) The airplane has enough fuel to 

hold for 15 minutes at 1500 feet above 
field elevation and conduct a normal 
approach and landing. 

(b) No person may dispatch or release 

for flight an ETOPS flight unless, con-
sidering wind and other weather condi-
tions expected, it has the fuel other-
wise required by this part and enough 
fuel to satisfy each of the following re-
quirements: 

(1) Fuel to fly to an ETOPS Alternate 

Airport. 

(i) Fuel to account for rapid decom-

pression and engine failure. The air-
plane must carry the greater of the fol-
lowing amounts of fuel: 

(A) Fuel sufficient to fly to an 

ETOPS Alternate Airport assuming a 
rapid decompression at the most crit-
ical point followed by descent to a safe 
altitude in compliance with the oxygen 
supply requirements of § 121.333 of this 
chapter; 

(B) Fuel sufficient to fly to an 

ETOPS Alternate Airport (at the one- 
engine-inoperative cruise speed) as-
suming a rapid decompression and a si-
multaneous engine failure at the most 
critical point followed by descent to a 
safe altitude in compliance with the 
oxygen requirements of § 121.333 of this 
chapter; or 

(C) Fuel sufficient to fly to an 

ETOPS Alternate Airport (at the one 
engine inoperative cruise speed) assum-
ing an engine failure at the most crit-
ical point followed by descent to the 
one engine inoperative cruise altitude. 

(ii) Fuel to account for errors in wind 

forecasting. In calculating the amount 
of fuel required by paragraph (b)(1)(i) of 
this section, the certificate holder 
must increase the actual forecast wind 
speed by 5% (resulting in an increase in 
headwind or a decrease in tailwind) to 
account for any potential errors in 
wind forecasting. If a certificate holder 
is not using the actual forecast wind 
based on a wind model accepted by the 
FAA, the airplane must carry addi-
tional fuel equal to 5% of the fuel re-
quired for paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this 
section, as reserve fuel to allow for er-
rors in wind data. 

(iii) Fuel to account for icing. In cal-

culating the amount of fuel required by 
paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section (after 
completing the wind calculation in