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605 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 29.672 

§ 29.561(b)(3) multiplied by a fitting fac-
tor of 1.33. 

[Doc. No. 5084, 29 FR 16150, Dec. 3, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 29–42, 63 FR 43285, Aug. 12, 
1998] 

§ 29.629

Flutter and divergence. 

Each aerodynamic surface of the 

rotorcraft must be free from flutter 
and divergence under each appropriate 
speed and power condition. 

[Doc. No. 28008, 61 FR 21907, May 10, 1996] 

§ 29.631

Bird strike. 

The rotorcraft must be designed to 

ensure capability of continued safe 
flight and landing (for Category A) or 
safe landing (for Category B) after im-
pact with a 2.2-lb (1.0 kg) bird when the 
velocity of the rotorcraft (relative to 
the bird along the flight path of the 
rotorcraft) is equal to V

NE

or V

H

 

(whichever is the lesser) at altitudes up 
to 8,000 feet. Compliance must be 
shown by tests or by analysis based on 
tests carried out on sufficiently rep-
resentative structures of similar de-
sign. 

[Doc. No. 28008, 61 FR 21907, May 10, 1996; 61 
FR 33963, July 1, 1996] 

R

OTORS

 

§ 29.653

Pressure venting and drain-

age of rotor blades. 

(a) For each rotor blade— 
(1) There must be means for venting 

the internal pressure of the blade; 

(2) Drainage holes must be provided 

for the blade; and 

(3) The blade must be designed to pre-

vent water from becoming trapped in 
it. 

(b) Paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this 

section does not apply to sealed rotor 
blades capable of withstanding the 
maximum pressure differentials ex-
pected in service. 

[Amdt. 29–3, 33 FR 967, Jan. 26, 1968] 

§ 29.659

Mass balance. 

(a) The rotor and blades must be 

mass balanced as necessary to— 

(1) Prevent excessive vibration; and 
(2) Prevent flutter at any speed up to 

the maximum forward speed. 

(b) The structural integrity of the 

mass balance installation must be sub-
stantiated. 

[Amdt. 29–3, 33 FR 967, Jan. 26, 1968] 

§ 29.661

Rotor blade clearance. 

There must be enough clearance be-

tween the rotor blades and other parts 
of the structure to prevent the blades 
from striking any part of the structure 
during any operating condition. 

[Amdt. 29–3, 33 FR 967, Jan. 26, 1968] 

§ 29.663

Ground resonance prevention 

means. 

(a) The reliability of the means for 

preventing ground resonance must be 
shown either by analysis and tests, or 
reliable service experience, or by show-
ing through analysis or tests that mal-
function or failure of a single means 
will not cause ground resonance. 

(b) The probable range of variations, 

during service, of the damping action 
of the ground resonance prevention 
means must be established and must be 
investigated during the test required 
by § 29.241. 

[Amdt. 27–26, 55 FR 8003, Mar. 6, 1990] 

C

ONTROL

S

YSTEMS

 

§ 29.671

General. 

(a) Each control and control system 

must operate with the ease, smooth-
ness, and positiveness appropriate to 
its function. 

(b) Each element of each flight con-

trol system must be designed, or dis-
tinctively and permanently marked, to 
minimize the probability of any incor-
rect assembly that could result in the 
malfunction of the system. 

(c) A means must be provided to 

allow full control movement of all pri-
mary flight controls prior to flight, or 
a means must be provided that will 
allow the pilot to determine that full 
control authority is available prior to 
flight. 

[Doc. No. 5084, 29 FR 16150, Dec. 3, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 29–24, 49 FR 44437, Nov. 6, 
1984] 

§ 29.672

Stability augmentation, auto-

matic, and power-operated systems. 

If the functioning of stability aug-

mentation or other automatic or 

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606 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 29.673 

power-operated system is necessary to 
show compliance with the flight char-
acteristics requirements of this part, 
the system must comply with § 29.671 of 
this part and the following: 

(a) A warning which is clearly distin-

guishable to the pilot under expected 
flight conditions without requiring the 
pilot’s attention must be provided for 
any failure in the stability augmenta-
tion system or in any other automatic 
or power-operated system which could 
result in an unsafe condition if the 
pilot is unaware of the failure. Warning 
systems must not activate the control 
systems. 

(b) The design of the stability aug-

mentation system or of any other auto-
matic or power-operated system must 
allow initial counteraction of failures 
without requiring exceptional pilot 
skill or strength, by overriding the 
failure by moving the flight controls in 
the normal sense, and by deactivating 
the failed system. 

(c) It must be show that after any 

single failure of the stability aug-
mentation system or any other auto-
matic or power-operated system— 

(1) The rotorcraft is safely control-

lable when the failure or malfunction 
occurs at any speed or altitude within 
the approved operating limitations; 

(2) The controllability and maneuver-

ability requirements of this part are 
met within a practical operational 
flight envelope (for example, speed, al-
titude, normal acceleration, and rotor-
craft configurations) which is described 
in the Rotorcraft Flight Manual; and 

(3) The trim and stability character-

istics are not impaired below a level 
needed to allow continued safe flight 
and landing. 

[Amdt. 29–24, 49 FR 44437, Nov. 6, 1984] 

§ 29.673

Primary flight controls. 

Primary flight controls are those 

used by the pilot for immediate control 
of pitch, roll, yaw, and vertical motion 
of the rotorcraft. 

[Amdt. 29–24, 49 FR 44437, Nov. 6, 1984] 

§ 29.674

Interconnected controls. 

Each primary flight control system 

must provide for safe flight and landing 
and operate independently after a mal-

function, failure, or jam of any auxil-
iary interconnected control. 

[Amdt. 27–26, 55 FR 8003, Mar. 6, 1990] 

§ 29.675

Stops. 

(a) Each control system must have 

stops that positively limit the range of 
motionof the pilot’s controls. 

(b) Each stop must be located in the 

system so that the range of travel of 
its control is not appreciably affected 
by— 

(1) Wear; 
(2) Slackness; or 
(3) Takeup adjustments. 
(c) Each stop must be able to with-

stand the loads corresponding to the 
design conditions for the system. 

(d) For each main rotor blade— 
(1) Stops that are appropriate to the 

blade design must be provided to limit 
travel of the blade about its hinge 
points; and 

(2) There must be means to keep the 

blade from hitting the droop stops dur-
ing any operation other than starting 
and stopping the rotor. 

(Secs. 313(a), 601, 603, 604, Federal Aviation 
Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1354(a), 1421, 1423, 1424), 
sec. 6(c), Dept. of Transportation Act (49 
U.S.C. 1655(c))) 

[Doc. No. 5084, 29 FR 16150. Dec. 3, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 29–17, 43 FR 50599, Oct. 30, 
1978] 

§ 29.679

Control system locks. 

If there is a device to lock the con-

trol system with the rotorcraft on the 
ground or water, there must be means 
to— 

(a) Automatically disengage the lock 

when the pilot operates the controls in 
a normal manner, or limit the oper-
ation of the rotorcraft so as to give un-
mistakable warning to the pilot before 
takeoff; and 

(b) Prevent the lock from engaging in 

flight. 

§ 29.681

Limit load static tests. 

(a) Compliance with the limit load 

requirements of this part must be 
shown by tests in which— 

(1) The direction of the test loads 

produces the most severe loading in the 
control system; and 

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