555 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 136.37 

lands for the 12-month period preceding 
enactment. 

(d) 

Commercial air tour operation

— 

(1) Means any flight, conducted for 

compensation or hire in a powered air-
craft where a purpose of the flight is 
sightseeing over a national park, with-
in 

1

⁄

2

mile outside the boundary of any 

national park, or over tribal lands, dur-
ing which the aircraft flies— 

(i) Below 5,000 feet above ground level 

(except for the purpose of takeoff or 
landing, or as necessary for the safe op-
eration of an aircraft as determined 
under the rules and regulations of the 
Federal Aviation Administration re-
quiring the pilot-in-command to take 
action to ensure the safe operation of 
the aircraft); 

(ii) Less than 1 mile laterally from 

any geographic feature within the park 
(unless more than 

1

⁄

2

mile outside the 

boundary); or 

(iii) Except as provided in § 136.35. 
(2) The Administrator may consider 

the following factors in determining 
whether a flight is a commercial air 
tour operation for purposes of this sub-
part— 

(i) Whether there was a holding out 

to the public of willingness to conduct 
a sightseeing flight for compensation 
or hire; 

(ii) Whether a narrative that referred 

to areas or points of interest on the 
surface below the route of the flight 
was provided by the person offering the 
flight; 

(iii) The area of operation; 
(iv) The frequency of flights con-

ducted by the person offering the 
flight; 

(v) The route of flight; 
(vi) The inclusion of sightseeing 

flights as part of any travel arrange-
ment package offered by the person of-
fering the flight; 

(vii) Whether the flight would have 

been canceled based on poor visibility 
of the surface below the route of the 
flight; and 

(viii) Any other factors that the Ad-

ministrator and Director consider ap-
propriate. 

(3) For purposes of § 136.35, means any 

flight conducted for compensation or 
hire in a powered aircraft where a pur-
pose of the flight is sightseeing over a 
national park. 

(e) 

National park 

means any unit of 

the national park system. (See title 16 
of the U.S. Code, section 1, 

et seq.

) 

(f) 

Tribal lands 

means that portion of 

Indian country (as that term is defined 
in section 1151 of title 18 of the U.S. 
Code) that is within or abutting a na-
tional park. 

(g) 

Administrator 

means the Adminis-

trator of the Federal Aviation Admin-
istration. 

(h) 

Director 

means the Director of the 

National Park Service. 

(i) 

Superintendent 

means the duly ap-

pointed representative of the National 
Park Service for a particular unit of 
the national park system. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2001–8690, 67 FR 65667, Oct. 25, 
2002. Redesignated and amended by Amdt. 
136–1, 72 FR 6912, Feb. 13, 2007; Amdt. 136–1, 72 
FR 31450, June 7, 2007] 

§ 136.35 Prohibition of commercial air 

tour operations over the Rocky 

Mountain National Park. 

All commercial air tour operations in 

the airspace over the Rocky Mountain 
National Park are prohibited regard-
less of altitude. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2001–8690, 67 FR 65667, Oct. 25, 
2002. Redesignated by Amdt. 136–1, 72 FR 
6912, Feb. 13, 2007] 

§ 136.37 Overflights of national parks 

and tribal lands. 

(a) 

General. 

A commercial air tour 

operator may not conduct commercial 
air tour operations over a national 
park or tribal land except— 

(1) In accordance with this section; 
(2) In accordance with conditions and 

limitations prescribed for that oper-
ator by the Administrator; and 

(3) In accordance with any applicable 

air tour management plan for the park 
or tribal lands. 

(b) 

Application for operating authority. 

Before commencing commercial air 
tour operations over a national park or 
tribal lands, a commercial air tour op-
erator shall apply to the Administrator 
for authority to conduct the operations 
over the park or tribal lands. 

(c) 

Number of operations authorized. 

In 

determining the number of authoriza-
tions to issue to provide commercial 
air tour operations over a national 
park, the Administrator, in coopera-
tion with the Director, shall take into