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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 

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457 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 135.165 

indicator has a source of energy sepa-
rate from the bank and pitch and direc-
tion indicators. For the purpose of this 
paragraph, for multi-engine aircraft, 
each engine-driven source of energy 
must be on a different engine. 

(i) For the purpose of paragraph (f) of 

this section, a continuous inflight elec-
trical load includes one that draws cur-
rent continuously during flight, such 
as radio equipment, electrically driven 
instruments, and lights, but does not 
include occasional intermittent loads. 

[Doc. No. 16097, 43 FR 46783, Oct. 10, 1978, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–70, 62 FR 42374, Aug. 6, 
1997; Amdt. 135–72, 63 FR 25573, May 8, 1998] 

§ 135.165 Communication and naviga-

tion equipment: Extended over- 

water or IFR operations. 

(a) 

Aircraft navigation equipment re-

quirements

General. 

Except as provided 

in paragraph (g) of this section, no per-
son may conduct operations under IFR 
or extended over-water unless— 

(1) The en route navigation aids nec-

essary for navigating the aircraft along 
the route (e.g., ATS routes, arrival and 
departure routes, and instrument ap-
proach procedures, including missed 
approach procedures if a missed ap-
proach routing is specified in the pro-
cedure) are available and suitable for 
use by the navigation systems required 
by this section: 

(2) The aircraft used in extended 

over-water operations is equipped with 
at least two-approved independent 
navigation systems suitable for navi-
gating the aircraft along the route to 
be flown within the degree of accuracy 
required for ATC. 

(3) The aircraft used for IFR oper-

ations is equipped with at least— 

(i) One marker beacon receiver pro-

viding visual and aural signals; and 

(ii) One ILS receiver. 
(4) Any RNAV system used to meet 

the navigation equipment require-
ments of this section is authorized in 
the certificate holder’s operations 
specifications. 

(b) 

Use of a single independent naviga-

tion system for IFR operations. 

The air-

craft may be equipped with a single 
independent navigation system suit-
able for navigating the aircraft along 
the route to be flown within the degree 
of accuracy required for ATC if: 

(1) It can be shown that the aircraft 

is equipped with at least one other 
independent navigation system suit-
able, in the event of loss of the naviga-
tion capability of the single inde-
pendent navigation system permitted 
by this paragraph at any point along 
the route, for proceeding safely to a 
suitable airport and completing an in-
strument approach; and 

(2) The aircraft has sufficient fuel so 

that the flight may proceed safely to a 
suitable airport by use of the remain-
ing navigation system, and complete 
an instrument approach and land. 

(c) 

VOR navigation equipment. 

When-

ever VOR navigation equipment is re-
quired by paragraph (a) or (b) of this 
section, no person may operate an air-
craft unless it is equipped with at least 
one approved DME or suitable RNAV 
system. 

(d) 

Airplane communication equipment 

requirements. 

Except as permitted in 

paragraph (e) of this section, no person 
may operate a turbojet airplane having 
a passenger seat configuration, exclud-
ing any pilot seat, of 10 seats or more, 
or a multiengine airplane in a com-
muter operation, as defined in part 119 
of this chapter, under IFR or in ex-
tended over-water operations unless 
the airplane is equipped with— 

(1) At least two independent commu-

nication systems necessary under nor-
mal operating conditions to fulfill the 
functions specified in § 121.347(a) of this 
chapter; and 

(2) At least one of the communica-

tion systems required by paragraph 
(d)(1) of this section must have two- 
way voice communication capability. 

(e) 

IFR or extended over-water commu-

nications equipment requirements. 

A per-

son may operate an aircraft other than 
that specified in paragraph (d) of this 
section under IFR or in extended over- 
water operations if it meets all of the 
requirements of this section, with the 
exception that only one communica-
tion system transmitter is required for 
operations other than extended over- 
water operations. 

(f) 

Additional aircraft communication 

equipment requirements. 

In addition to 

the requirements in paragraphs (d) and