523 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 135.617 

this section does not apply, if the dis-
tance from the missed approach point 
to the landing area is 3 NM or less, the 
applicable VFR weather minimums 
are— 

(i) For Day Operations: No less than 

a 600-foot ceiling and 2 statute miles 
flight visibility; 

(ii) For Night Operations: No less 

than a 600-foot ceiling and 3 statute 
miles flight visibility; or 

(3) For all instrument approaches, in-

cluding PinS, if the distance from the 
missed approach point to the landing 
area is greater than 3 NM, the VFR 
weather minimums required by the 
class of airspace. 

(b) 

Departures. 

For transitions from 

VFR to IFR upon departure— 

(1) The VFR weather minimums of 

paragraph (a) of this section apply if— 

(i) An FAA-approved obstacle depar-

ture procedure is followed; and 

(ii) An IFR clearance is obtained on 

or before reaching a predetermined lo-
cation that is not more than 3 NM from 
the departure location. 

(2) If the departure does not meet the 

requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this 
section, the VFR weather minimums 
required by the class of airspace apply. 

§ 135.615 VFR flight planning. 

(a) 

Pre-flight. 

Prior to conducting 

VFR operations, the pilot in command 
must— 

(1) Determine the minimum safe 

cruise altitude by evaluating the ter-
rain and obstacles along the planned 
route of flight; 

(2) Identify and document the highest 

obstacle along the planned route of 
flight; and 

(3) Using the minimum safe cruise al-

titudes in paragraphs (b)(1)–(2) of this 
section, determine the minimum re-
quired ceiling and visibility to conduct 
the planned flight by applying the 
weather minimums appropriate to the 
class of airspace for the planned flight. 

(b) 

Enroute. 

While conducting VFR 

operations, the pilot in command must 
ensure that all terrain and obstacles 
along the route of flight are cleared 
vertically by no less than the fol-
lowing: 

(1) 300 feet for day operations. 
(2) 500 feet for night operations. 

(c) 

Rerouting the planned flight path. 

A 

pilot in command may deviate from 
the planned flight path for reasons 
such as weather conditions or oper-
ational considerations. Such deviations 
do not relieve the pilot in command of 
the weather requirements or the re-
quirements for terrain and obstacle 
clearance contained in this part and in 
part 91 of this chapter. Rerouting, 
change in destination, or other changes 
to the planned flight that occur while 
the helicopter is on the ground at an 
intermediate stop require evaluation of 
the new route in accordance with para-
graph (a) of this section. 

(d) 

Operations manual. 

Each certifi-

cate holder must document its VFR 
flight planning procedures in its oper-
ations manual. 

§ 135.617 Pre-flight risk analysis. 

(a) Each certificate holder con-

ducting helicopter air ambulance oper-
ations must establish, and document in 
its operations manual, an FAA-ap-
proved preflight risk analysis that in-
cludes at least the following— 

(1) Flight considerations, to include 

obstacles and terrain along the planned 
route of flight, landing zone conditions, 
and fuel requirements; 

(2) Human factors, such as crew fa-

tigue, life events, and other stressors; 

(3) Weather, including departure, en 

route, destination, and forecasted; 

(4) A procedure for determining 

whether another helicopter air ambu-
lance operator has refused or rejected a 
flight request; and 

(5) Strategies and procedures for 

mitigating identified risks, including 
procedures for obtaining and docu-
menting approval of the certificate 
holder’s management personnel to re-
lease a flight when a risk exceeds a 
level predetermined by the certificate 
holder. 

(b) Each certificate holder must de-

velop a preflight risk analysis work-
sheet to include, at a minimum, the 
items in paragraph (a) of this section. 

(c) Prior to the first leg of each heli-

copter air ambulance operation, the 
pilot in command must conduct a pre-
flight risk analysis and complete the 
preflight risk analysis worksheet in ac-
cordance with the certificate holder’s 
FAA-approved procedures. The pilot in 

524 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 135.619 

command must sign the preflight risk 
analysis worksheet and specify the 
date and time it was completed. 

(d) The certificate holder must retain 

the original or a copy of each com-
pleted preflight risk analysis work-
sheet at a location specified in its oper-
ations manual for at least 90 days from 
the date of the operation. 

§ 135.619 Operations control centers. 

(a) 

Operations control center. 

After 

April 22, 2016, certificate holders au-
thorized to conduct helicopter air am-
bulance operations, with 10 or more 
helicopter air ambulances assigned to 
the certificate holder’s operations 
specifications, must have an operations 
control center. The operations control 
center must be staffed by operations 
control specialists who, at a min-
imum— 

(1) Provide two-way communications 

with pilots; 

(2) Provide pilots with weather brief-

ings, to include current and forecasted 
weather along the planned route of 
flight; 

(3) Monitor the progress of the flight; 

and 

(4) Participate in the preflight risk 

analysis required under § 135.617 to in-
clude the following: 

(i) Ensure the pilot has completed all 

required items on the preflight risk 
analysis worksheet; 

(ii) Confirm and verify all entries on 

the preflight risk analysis worksheet; 

(iii) Assist the pilot in mitigating 

any identified risk prior to takeoff; and 

(iv) Acknowledge in writing, speci-

fying the date and time, that the pre-
flight risk analysis worksheet has been 
accurately completed and that, accord-
ing to their professional judgment, the 
flight can be conducted safely. 

(b) 

Operations control center staffing. 

Each certificate holder conducting hel-
icopter air ambulance operations must 
provide enough operations control spe-
cialists at each operations control cen-
ter to ensure the certificate holder 
maintains operational control of each 
flight. 

(c) 

Documentation of duties and respon-

sibilities. 

Each certificate holder must 

describe in its operations manual the 
duties and responsibilities of oper-
ations control specialists, including 

preflight risk mitigation strategies and 
control measures, shift change check-
list, and training and testing proce-
dures to hold the position, including 
procedures for retesting. 

(d) 

Training requirements. 

No certifi-

cate holder may use, nor may any per-
son perform the duties of, an oper-
ations control specialist unless the op-
erations control specialist has satisfac-
torily completed the training require-
ments of this paragraph. 

(1) 

Initial training. 

Before performing 

the duties of an operations control spe-
cialist, each person must satisfactorily 
complete the certificate holder’s FAA- 
approved operations control specialist 
initial training program and pass an 
FAA-approved knowledge and practical 
test given by the certificate holder. 
Initial training must include a min-
imum of 80 hours of training on the 
topics listed in paragraph (f) of this 
section. A certificate holder may re-
duce the number of hours of initial 
training to a minimum of 40 hours for 
persons who have obtained, at the time 
of beginning initial training, a total of 
at least 2 years of experience during 
the last 5 years in any one or in any 
combination of the following areas— 

(i) In military aircraft operations as 

a pilot, flight navigator, or meteorolo-
gist; 

(ii) In air carrier operations as a 

pilot, flight engineer, certified aircraft 
dispatcher, or meteorologist; or 

(iii) In aircraft operations as an air 

traffic controller or a flight service 
specialist. 

(2) 

Recurrent training. 

Every 12 

months after satisfactory completion 
of the initial training, each operations 
control specialist must complete a 
minimum of 40 hours of recurrent 
training on the topics listed in para-
graph (f) of this section and pass an 
FAA-approved knowledge and practical 
test given by the certificate holder on 
those topics. 

(e) 

Training records. 

The certificate 

holder must maintain a training record 
for each operations control specialist 
employed by the certificate holder for 
the duration of that individual’s em-
ployment and for 90 days thereafter. 
The training record must include a 
chronological log for each training