456 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 135.161 

complete statement of the cir-
cumstances and justification, and must 
be submitted to the responsible Flight 
Standards office, not less than 60 days 
prior to the date of intended oper-
ations. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2010–0982, 79 FR 9973, Feb. 21, 
2014, as amended by Docket FAA–2018–0119, 
Amdt. 135–139, 83 FR 9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 135.161 Communication and naviga-

tion equipment for aircraft oper-
ations under VFR over routes navi-
gated by pilotage. 

(a) No person may operate an aircraft 

under VFR over routes that can be 
navigated by pilotage unless the air-
craft is equipped with the two-way 
radio communication equipment nec-
essary under normal operating condi-
tions to fulfill the following: 

(1) Communicate with at least one 

appropriate station from any point on 
the route, except in remote locations 
and areas of mountainous terrain 
where geographical constraints make 
such communication impossible. 

(2) Communicate with appropriate air 

traffic control facilities from any point 
within Class B, Class C, or Class D air-
space, or within a Class E surface area 
designated for an airport in which 
flights are intended; and 

(3) Receive meteorological informa-

tion from any point en route, except in 
remote locations and areas of moun-
tainous terrain where geographical 
constraints make such communication 
impossible. 

(b) No person may operate an aircraft 

at night under VFR over routes that 
can be navigated by pilotage unless 
that aircraft is equipped with— 

(1) Two-way radio communication 

equipment necessary under normal op-
erating conditions to fulfill the func-
tions specified in paragraph (a) of this 
section; and 

(2) Navigation equipment suitable for 

the route to be flown. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2002–14002, 72 FR 31684, June 7, 
2007, as amended by Amdt. 135–116, 74 FR 
20205, May 1, 2009] 

§ 135.163 Equipment requirements: 

Aircraft carrying passengers under 

IFR. 

No person may operate an aircraft 

under IFR, carrying passengers, unless 
it has— 

(a) A vertical speed indicator; 
(b) A free-air temperature indicator; 
(c) A heated pitot tube for each air-

speed indicator; 

(d) A power failure warning device or 

vacuum indicator to show the power 
available for gyroscopic instruments 
from each power source; 

(e) An alternate source of static pres-

sure for the altimeter and the airspeed 
and vertical speed indicators; 

(f) For a single-engine aircraft: 
(1) Two independent electrical power 

generating sources each of which is 
able to supply all probable combina-
tions of continuous inflight electrical 
loads for required instruments and 
equipment; or 

(2) In addition to the primary elec-

trical power generating source, a 
standby battery or an alternate source 
of electric power that is capable of sup-
plying 150% of the electrical loads of 
all required instruments and equip-
ment necessary for safe emergency op-
eration of the aircraft for at least one 
hour; 

(g) For multi-engine aircraft, at least 

two generators or alternators each of 
which is on a separate engine, of which 
any combination of one-half of the 
total number are rated sufficiently to 
supply the electrical loads of all re-
quired instruments and equipment nec-
essary for safe emergency operation of 
the aircraft except that for multi-en-
gine helicopters, the two required gen-
erators may be mounted on the main 
rotor drive train; and 

(h) Two independent sources of en-

ergy (with means of selecting either) of 
which at least one is an engine-driven 
pump or generator, each of which is 
able to drive all required gyroscopic in-
struments powered by, or to be pow-
ered by, that particular source and in-
stalled so that failure of one instru-
ment or source, does not interfere with 
the energy supply to the remaining in-
struments or the other energy source 
unless, for single-engine aircraft in all 
cargo operations only, the rate of turn