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475 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 135.244 

at least 50 hours of which were in ac-
tual flight; and 

(3) For an airplane, holds an instru-

ment rating or an airline transport 
pilot certificate with an airplane cat-
egory rating; or 

(4) For a helicopter, holds a heli-

copter instrument rating, or an airline 
transport pilot certificate with a cat-
egory and class rating for that aircraft, 
not limited to VFR. 

(d) Paragraph (b)(3) of this section 

does not apply when— 

(1) The aircraft used is a single recip-

rocating-engine-powered airplane; 

(2) The certificate holder does not 

conduct any operation pursuant to a 
published flight schedule which speci-
fies five or more round trips a week be-
tween two or more points and places 
between which the round trips are per-
formed, and does not transport mail by 
air under a contract or contracts with 
the United States Postal Service hav-
ing total amount estimated at the be-
ginning of any semiannual reporting 
period (January 1–June 30; July 1–De-
cember 31) to be in excess of $20,000 
over the 12 months commencing with 
the beginning of the reporting period; 

(3) The area, as specified in the cer-

tificate holder’s operations specifica-
tions, is an isolated area, as deter-
mined by the Flight Standards office, if 
it is shown that— 

(i) The primary means of navigation 

in the area is by pilotage, since radio 
navigational aids are largely ineffec-
tive; and 

(ii) The primary means of transpor-

tation in the area is by air; 

(4) Each flight is conducted under 

day VFR with a ceiling of not less than 
1,000 feet and visibility not less than 3 
statute miles; 

(5) Weather reports or forecasts, or 

any combination of them, indicate that 
for the period commencing with the 
planned departure and ending 30 min-
utes after the planned arrival at the 
destination the flight may be con-
ducted under VFR with a ceiling of not 
less than 1,000 feet and visibility of not 
less than 3 statute miles, except that if 
weather reports and forecasts are not 
available, the pilot in command may 
use that pilot’s observations or those 
of other persons competent to supply 
weather observations if those observa-

tions indicate the flight may be con-
ducted under VFR with the ceiling and 
visibility required in this paragraph; 

(6) The distance of each flight from 

the certificate holder’s base of oper-
ation to destination does not exceed 250 
nautical miles for a pilot who holds a 
commercial pilot certificate with an 
airplane rating without an instrument 
rating, provided the pilot’s certificate 
does not contain any limitation to the 
contrary; and 

(7) The areas to be flown are ap-

proved by the responsible Flight Stand-
ards office and are listed in the certifi-
cate holder’s operations specifications. 

[Doc. No. 16097, 43 FR 46783, Oct. 10, 1978; 
Amdt. 135–1, 43 FR 49975, Oct. 26, 1978, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–15, 46 FR 30971, June 
11, 1981; Amdt. 135–58, 60 FR 65939, Dec. 20, 
1995; Docket FAA–2018–0119, Amdt. 135–139, 83 
FR 9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 135.244 Operating experience. 

(a) No certificate holder may use any 

person, nor may any person serve, as a 
pilot in command of an aircraft oper-
ated in a commuter operation, as de-
fined in part 119 of this chapter unless 
that person has completed, prior to 
designation as pilot in command, on 
that make and basic model aircraft and 
in that crewmember position, the fol-
lowing operating experience in each 
make and basic model of aircraft to be 
flown: 

(1) Aircraft, single engine—10 hours. 
(2) Aircraft multiengine, recipro-

cating engine-powered—15 hours. 

(3) Aircraft multiengine, turbine en-

gine-powered—20 hours. 

(4) Airplane, turbojet-powered—25 

hours. 

(b) In acquiring the operating experi-

ence, each person must comply with 
the following: 

(1) The operating experience must be 

acquired after satisfactory completion 
of the appropriate ground and flight 
training for the aircraft and crew-
member position. Approved provisions 
for the operating experience must be 
included in the certificate holder’s 
training program. 

(2) The experience must be acquired 

in flight during commuter passenger- 
carrying operations under this part. 
However, in the case of an aircraft not 

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476 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 135.245 

previously used by the certificate hold-
er in operations under this part, oper-
ating experience acquired in the air-
craft during proving flights or ferry 
flights may be used to meet this re-
quirement. 

(3) Each person must acquire the op-

erating experience while performing 
the duties of a pilot in command under 
the supervision of a qualified check 
pilot. 

(4) The hours of operating experience 

may be reduced to not less than 50 per-
cent of the hours required by this sec-
tion by the substitution of one addi-
tional takeoff and landing for each 
hour of flight. 

[Doc. No. 20011, 45 FR 7541, Feb. 4, 1980, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–9, 45 FR 80461, Dec. 14, 
1980; Amdt. 135–58, 60 FR 65940, Dec. 20, 1995] 

§ 135.245 Second in command quali-

fications. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b) of this section, no certificate holder 
may use any person, nor may any per-
son serve, as second in command of an 
aircraft unless that person holds at 
least a commercial pilot certificate 
with appropriate category and class 
ratings and an instrument rating. 

(b) A second in command of a heli-

copter operated under VFR, other than 
over-the-top, must have at least a com-
mercial pilot certificate with an appro-
priate aircraft category and class rat-
ing. 

(c) No certificate holder may use any 

person, nor may any person serve, as 
second in command under IFR unless 
that person meets the following instru-
ment experience requirements: 

(1) 

Use of an airplane or helicopter for 

maintaining instrument experience. 

With-

in the 6 calendar months preceding the 
month of the flight, that person per-
formed and logged at least the fol-
lowing tasks and iterations in-flight in 
an airplane or helicopter, as appro-
priate, in actual weather conditions, or 
under simulated instrument conditions 
using a view-limiting device: 

(i) Six instrument approaches; 
(ii) Holding procedures and tasks; 

and 

(iii) Intercepting and tracking 

courses through the use of navigational 
electronic systems. 

(2) 

Use of an FSTD for maintaining in-

strument experience. 

A person may ac-

complish the requirements in para-
graph (c)(1) of this section in an ap-
proved FSTD, or a combination of air-
craft and FSTD, provided: 

(i) The FSTD represents the category 

of aircraft for the instrument rating 
privileges to be maintained; 

(ii) The person performs the tasks 

and iterations in simulated instrument 
conditions; and 

(iii) A flight instructor qualified 

under § 135.338 or a check pilot qualified 
under § 135.337 observes the tasks and 
iterations and signs the person’s log-
book or training record to verify the 
time and content of the session. 

(d) A second in command who has 

failed to meet the instrument experi-
ence requirements of paragraph (c) of 
this section for more than six calendar 
months must reestablish instrument 
recency under the supervision of a 
flight instructor qualified under 
§ 135.338 or a check pilot qualified under 
§ 135.337. To reestablish instrument 
recency, a second in command must 
complete at least the following areas of 
operation required for the instrument 
rating practical test in an aircraft or 
FSTD that represents the category of 
aircraft for the instrument experience 
requirements to be reestablished: 

(1) Air traffic control clearances and 

procedures; 

(2) Flight by reference to instru-

ments; 

(3) Navigation systems; 
(4) Instrument approach procedures; 
(5) Emergency operations; and 
(6) Postflight procedures. 

[44 FR 26738, May 7, 1979, as amended by Doc. 
No. FAA–2016–6142, 83 FR 30283, June 27, 2018] 

§ 135.247 Pilot qualifications: Recent 

experience. 

(a) No certificate holder may use any 

person, nor may any person serve, as 
pilot in command of an aircraft car-
rying passengers unless, within the 
preceding 90 days, that person has— 

(1) Made three takeoffs and three 

landings as the sole manipulator of the 
flight controls in an aircraft of the 
same category and class and, if a type 
rating is required, of the same type in 
which that person is to serve; or