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468 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 135.180 

flight permit under §§ 21.197 and 21.199 
of this chapter. 

[Doc. No. 25780, 56 FR 12311, Mar. 22, 1991; 56 
FR 14920, Apr. 8, 1991, as amended by Amdt. 
135–60, 61 FR 2616, Jan. 26, 1996; Amdt. 135–91, 
68 FR 54586, Sept. 17, 2003; Docket FAA–2018– 
0119, Amdt. 135–139, 83 FR 9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 135.180 Traffic Alert and Collision 

Avoidance System. 

(a) Unless otherwise authorized by 

the Administrator, after December 31, 
1995, no person may operate a turbine 
powered airplane that has a passenger 
seat configuration, excluding any pilot 
seat, of 10 to 30 seats unless it is 
equipped with an approved traffic alert 
and collision avoidance system. If a 
TCAS II system is installed, it must be 
capable of coordinating with TCAS 
units that meet TSO C–119. 

(b) The airplane flight manual re-

quired by § 135.21 of this part shall con-
tain the following information on the 
TCAS I system required by this sec-
tion: 

(1) Appropriate procedures for— 
(i) The use of the equipment; and 
(ii) Proper flightcrew action with re-

spect to the equipment operation. 

(2) An outline of all input sources 

that must be operating for the TCAS to 
function properly. 

[Doc. No. 25355, 54 FR 951, Jan. 10, 1989, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–54, 59 FR 67587, Dec. 
29, 1994] 

§ 135.181 Performance requirements: 

Aircraft operated over-the-top or in 

IFR conditions. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs 

(b) and (c) of this section, no person 
may— 

(1) Operate a single-engine aircraft 

carrying passengers over-the-top; or 

(2) Operate a multiengine aircraft 

carrying passengers over-the-top or in 
IFR conditions at a weight that will 
not allow it to climb, with the critical 
engine inoperative, at least 50 feet a 
minute when operating at the MEAs of 
the route to be flown or 5,000 feet MSL, 
whichever is higher. 

(b) Notwithstanding the restrictions 

in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, mul-
tiengine helicopters carrying pas-
sengers offshore may conduct such op-
erations in over-the-top or in IFR con-
ditions at a weight that will allow the 

helicopter to climb at least 50 feet per 
minute with the critical engine inoper-
ative when operating at the MEA of 
the route to be flown or 1,500 feet MSL, 
whichever is higher. 

(c) Without regard to paragraph (a) of 

this section, if the latest weather re-
ports or forecasts, or any combination 
of them, indicate that the weather 
along the planned route (including 
takeoff and landing) allows flight 
under VFR under the ceiling (if a ceil-
ing exists) and that the weather is fore-
cast to remain so until at least 1 hour 
after the estimated time of arrival at 
the destination, a person may operate 
an aircraft over-the-top. 

(d) Without regard to paragraph (a) 

of this section, a person may operate 
an aircraft over-the-top under condi-
tions allowing— 

(1) For multiengine aircraft, descent 

or continuance of the flight under VFR 
if its critical engine fails; or 

(2) For single-engine aircraft, descent 

under VFR if its engine fails. 

[Doc. No. 16097, 43 FR 46783, Oct. 10, 1978, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–20, 51 FR 40710, Nov. 7, 
1986; Amdt. 135–70, 62 FR 42374, Aug. 6, 1997] 

§ 135.183 Performance requirements: 

Land aircraft operated over water. 

No person may operate a land air-

craft carrying passengers over water 
unless— 

(a) It is operated at an altitude that 

allows it to reach land in the case of 
engine failure; 

(b) It is necessary for takeoff or land-

ing; 

(c) It is a multiengine aircraft oper-

ated at a weight that will allow it to 
climb, with the critical engine inoper-
ative, at least 50 feet a minute, at an 
altitude of 1,000 feet above the surface; 
or 

(d) It is a helicopter equipped with 

helicopter flotation devices. 

§ 135.185 Empty weight and center of 

gravity: Currency requirement. 

(a) No person may operate a multien-

gine aircraft unless the current empty 
weight and center of gravity are cal-
culated from values established by ac-
tual weighing of the aircraft within the 
preceding 36 calendar months. 

(b) Paragraph (a) of this section does 

not apply to— 

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469 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 135.211 

(1) Aircraft issued an original air-

worthiness certificate within the pre-
ceding 36 calendar months; and 

(2) Aircraft operated under a weight 

and balance system approved in the op-
erations specifications of the certifi-
cate holder. 

Subpart D—VFR/IFR Operating 

Limitations and Weather Re-
quirements 

§ 135.201 Applicability. 

This subpart prescribes the operating 

limitations for VFR/IFR flight oper-
ations and associated weather require-
ments for operations under this part. 

§ 135.203 VFR: Minimum altitudes. 

Except when necessary for takeoff 

and landing, no person may operate 
under VFR— 

(a) An airplane— 
(1) During the day, below 500 feet 

above the surface or less than 500 feet 
horizontally from any obstacle; or 

(2) At night, at an altitude less than 

1,000 feet above the highest obstacle 
within a horizontal distance of 5 miles 
from the course intended to be flown 
or, in designated mountainous terrain, 
less than 2,000 feet above the highest 
obstacle within a horizontal distance of 
5 miles from the course intended to be 
flown; or 

(b) A helicopter over a congested area 

at an altitude less than 300 feet above 
the surface. 

§ 135.205 VFR: Visibility requirements. 

(a) No person may operate an air-

plane under VFR in uncontrolled air-
space when the ceiling is less than 1,000 
feet unless flight visibility is at least 2 
miles. 

(b) No person may operate a heli-

copter under VFR in Class G airspace 
at an altitude of 1,200 feet or less above 
the surface or within the lateral bound-
aries of the surface areas of Class B, 
Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace 
designated for an airport unless the 
visibility is at least— 

(1) During the day—

1

2

mile; or 

(2) At night—1 mile. 

[Doc. No. 16097, 43 FR 46783, Oct. 10, 1978, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–41, 56 FR 65663, Dec. 
17, 1991] 

§ 135.207 VFR: Helicopter surface ref-

erence requirements. 

No person may operate a helicopter 

under VFR unless that person has vis-
ual surface reference or, at night, vis-
ual surface light reference, sufficient 
to safely control the helicopter. 

§ 135.209 VFR: Fuel supply. 

(a) No person may begin a flight op-

eration in an airplane under VFR un-
less, considering wind and forecast 
weather conditions, it has enough fuel 
to fly to the first point of intended 
landing and, assuming normal cruising 
fuel consumption— 

(1) During the day, to fly after that 

for at least 30 minutes; or 

(2) At night, to fly after that for at 

least 45 minutes. 

(b) No person may begin a flight op-

eration in a helicopter under VFR un-
less, considering wind and forecast 
weather conditions, it has enough fuel 
to fly to the first point of intended 
landing and, assuming normal cruising 
fuel consumption, to fly after that for 
at least 20 minutes. 

§ 135.211 VFR: Over-the-top carrying 

passengers: Operating limitations. 

Subject to any additional limitations 

in § 135.181, no person may operate an 
aircraft under VFR over-the-top car-
rying passengers, unless— 

(a) Weather reports or forecasts, or 

any combination of them, indicate that 
the weather at the intended point of 
termination of over-the-top flight— 

(1) Allows descent to beneath the 

ceiling under VFR and is forecast to re-
main so until at least 1 hour after the 
estimated time of arrival at that point; 
or 

(2) Allows an IFR approach and land-

ing with flight clear of the clouds until 
reaching the prescribed initial ap-
proach altitude over the final approach 
facility, unless the approach is made 
with the use of radar under § 91.175(i) of 
this chapter; or 

(b) It is operated under conditions al-

lowing— 

(1) For multiengine aircraft, descent 

or continuation of the flight under 
VFR if its critical engine fails; or