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—
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