455 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 135.160 

§ 135.158 Pitot heat indication systems. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b) of this section, after April 12, 1981, 
no person may operate a transport cat-
egory airplane equipped with a flight 
instrument pitot heating system unless 
the airplane is also equipped with an 
operable pitot heat indication system 
that complies with § 25.1326 of this 
chapter in effect on April 12, 1978. 

(b) A certificate holder may obtain 

an extension of the April 12, 1981, com-
pliance date specified in paragraph (a) 
of this section, but not beyond April 12, 
1983, from the Executive Director, 
Flight Standards Service if the certifi-
cate holder— 

(1) Shows that due to circumstances 

beyond its control it cannot comply by 
the specified compliance date; and 

(2) Submits by the specified compli-

ance date a schedule for compliance, 
acceptable to the Executive Director, 
indicating that compliance will be 
achieved at the earliest practicable 
date. 

[Doc. No. 18094, Amdt. 135–17, 46 FR 48306, 
Aug. 31, 1981, as amended by Amdt. 135–33, 54 
FR 39294, Sept. 25, 1989; Docket FAA–2018– 
0119, Amdt. 135–139, 83 FR 9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 135.159 Equipment requirements: 

Carrying passengers under VFR at 

night or under VFR over-the-top 

conditions. 

No person may operate an aircraft 

carrying passengers under VFR at 
night or under VFR over-the-top, un-
less it is equipped with— 

(a) A gyroscopic rate-of-turn indi-

cator except on the following aircraft: 

(1) Airplanes with a third attitude in-

strument system usable through flight 
attitudes of 360 degrees of pitch-and- 
roll and installed in accordance with 
the instrument requirements pre-
scribed in § 121.305(j) of this chapter. 

(2) Helicopters with a third attitude 

instrument system usable through 
flight attitudes of 

±

80 degrees of pitch 

and 

±

120 degrees of roll and installed in 

accordance with § 29.1303(g) of this 
chapter. 

(3) Helicopters with a maximum cer-

tificated takeoff weight of 6,000 pounds 
or less. 

(b) A slip skid indicator. 
(c) A gyroscopic bank-and-pitch indi-

cator. 

(d) A gyroscopic direction indicator. 
(e) A generator or generators able to 

supply all probable combinations of 
continuous in-flight electrical loads for 
required equipment and for recharging 
the battery. 

(f) For night flights— 
(1) An anticollision light system; 
(2) Instrument lights to make all in-

struments, switches, and gauges easily 
readable, the direct rays of which are 
shielded from the pilots’ eyes; and 

(3) A flashlight having at least two 

size ‘‘D’’ cells or equivalent. 

(g) For the purpose of paragraph (e) 

of this section, a continuous in-flight 
electrical load includes one that draws 
current continuously during flight, 
such as radio equipment and elec-
trically driven instruments and lights, 
but does not include occasional inter-
mittent loads. 

(h) Notwithstanding provisions of 

paragraphs (b), (c), and (d), helicopters 
having a maximum certificated takeoff 
weight of 6,000 pounds or less may be 
operated until January 6, 1988, under 
visual flight rules at night without a 
slip skid indicator, a gyroscopic bank- 
and-pitch indicator, or a gyroscopic di-
rection indicator. 

[Doc. No. 24550, 51 FR 40709, Nov. 7, 1986, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–38, 55 FR 43310, Oct. 
26, 1990] 

§ 135.160 Radio altimeters for rotor-

craft operations. 

(a) After April 24, 2017, no person may 

operate a rotorcraft unless that rotor-
craft is equipped with an operable 
FAA-approved radio altimeter, or an 
FAA-approved device that incorporates 
a radio altimeter, unless otherwise au-
thorized in the certificate holder’s ap-
proved minimum equipment list. 

(b) 

Deviation authority. 

The Adminis-

trator may authorize deviations from 
paragraph (a) of this section for rotor-
craft that are unable to incorporate a 
radio altimeter. This deviation will be 
issued as a Letter of Deviation Author-
ity. The deviation may be terminated 
or amended at any time by the Admin-
istrator. The request for deviation au-
thority is applicable to rotorcraft with 
a maximum gross takeoff weight no 
greater than 2,950 pounds. The request 
for deviation authority must contain a