696 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 31.63 

§ 31.63

Safety belts. 

(a) There must be a safety belt, har-

ness, or other restraining means for 
each occupant, unless the Adminis-
trator finds it unnecessary. If installed, 
the belt, harness, or other restraining 
means and its supporting structure 
must meet the strength requirements 
of subpart C of this part. 

(b) This section does not apply to bal-

loons that incorporate a basket or gon-
dola. 

[Amdt. 31–2, 30 FR 3377, Mar. 13, 1965, as 
amended by Amdt. 31–3, 41 FR 55474, Dec. 20, 
1976] 

§ 31.65

Position lights. 

(a) If position lights are installed, 

there must be one steady aviation 
white position light and one flashing 
aviation red (or flashing aviation 
white) position light with an effective 
flash frequency of at least 40, but not 
more than 100, cycles per minute. 

(b) Each light must provide 360

° 

hori-

zontal coverage at the intensities pre-
scribed in this paragraph. The fol-
lowing light intensities must be deter-
mined with the light source operating 
at a steady state and with all light cov-
ers and color filters in place and at the 
manufacturer’s rated minimum volt-
age. For the flashing aviation red light, 
the measured values must be adjusted 
to correspond to a red filter tempera-
ture of at least 130 

°

F: 

(1) The intensities in the horizontal 

plane passing through the light unit 
must equal or exceed the following val-
ues: 

Position light 

Minimum 

intensity 

(candles) 

Steady white ........................................................

20

Flashing red or white ...........................................

40

(2) The intensities in vertical planes 

must equal or exceed the following val-
ues. An intensity of one unit cor-
responds to the applicable horizontal 
plane intensity specified in paragraph 
(b)(1) of this section. 

Angles above and below the horizontal in any 

vertical plane (degrees) 

Minimum 

intensity 

(units) 

0 ...........................................................................

1.00

0 to 5 ...................................................................

0.90

5 to 10 .................................................................

0.80

10 to 15 ...............................................................

0.70

Angles above and below the horizontal in any 

vertical plane (degrees) 

Minimum 

intensity 

(units) 

15 to 20 ...............................................................

0.50

20 to 30 ...............................................................

0.30

30 to 40 ...............................................................

0.10

40 to 60 ...............................................................

0.05

(c) The steady white light must be lo-

cated not more than 20 feet below the 
basket, trapeze, or other means for car-
rying occupants. The flashing red or 
white light must be located not less 
than 7, nor more than 10, feet below the 
steady white light. 

(d) There must be a means to retract 

and store the lights. 

(e) Each position light color must 

have the applicable International Com-
mission on Illumination chromaticity 
coordinates as follows: 

(1) 

Aviation red— 

y is not greater than 0.335; and z is not great-

er than 0.002. 

(2) 

Aviation white— 

x  is not less than 0.300 and not greater than 

0.540; 

y is not less than x

¥

0.040 or 

y

o

¥

0.010, which-

ever is the smaller; and 

y  is not greater than x  + 0.020 nor 

0.636

¥

0.0400 

x; 

Where 

y

o

is the 

y coordinate of the Planckian 

radiator for the value of 

x considered. 

[Doc. No. 1437, 29 FR 8258, July 1, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 31–1, 29 FR 14563, Oct. 24, 
1964; Amdt. 31–4, 45 FR 60179, Sept. 11, 1980] 

Subpart E—Equipment 

§ 31.71

Function and installation. 

(a) Each item of installed equipment 

must— 

(1) Be of a kind and design appro-

priate to its intended function; 

(2) Be permanently and legibly 

marked or, if the item is too small to 
mark, tagged as to its identification, 
function, or operating limitations, or 
any applicable combination of those 
factors; 

(3) Be installed according to limita-

tions specified for that equipment; and 

(4) Function properly when installed. 
(b) No item of installed equipment, 

when performing its function, may af-
fect the function of any other equip-
ment so as to create an unsafe condi-
tion. 

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697 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

Pt. 31, App. A 

(c) The equipment, systems, and in-

stallations must be designed to prevent 
hazards to the balloon in the event of a 
probable malfunction or failure. 

[Amdt. 31–4, 45 FR 60180, Sept. 11, 1980] 

Subpart F—Operating Limitations 

and Information 

§ 31.81

General. 

(a) The following information must 

be established: 

(1) Each operating limitation, includ-

ing the maximum weight determined 
under § 31.14. 

(2) The normal and emergency proce-

dures. 

(3) Other information necessary for 

safe operation, including— 

(i) The empty weight determined 

under § 31.16; 

(ii) The rate of climb determined 

under § 31.17, and the procedures and 
conditions used to determine perform-
ance; 

(iii) The maximum vertical velocity, 

the altitude drop required to attain 
that velocity, and altitude drop re-
quired to recover from a descent at 
that velocity, determined under § 31.19, 
and the procedures and conditions used 
to determine performance; and 

(iv) Pertinent information peculiar 

to the balloon’s operating characteris-
tics. 

(b) The information established in 

compliance with paragraph (a) of this 
section must be furnished by means 
of— 

(1) A Balloon Flight Manual; or 
(2) A placard on the balloon that is 

clearly visible to the pilot. 

[Amdt. 31–4, 45 FR 60180, Sept. 11, 1980] 

§ 31.82

Instructions for Continued Air-

worthiness. 

The applicant must prepare Instruc-

tions for Continued Airworthiness in 
accordance with appendix A to this 
part that are acceptable to the Admin-
istrator. The instructions may be in-
complete at type certification if a pro-
gram exists to ensure their completion 
prior to delivery of the first balloon or 
issuance of a standard certificate of 
airworthiness, whichever occurs later. 

[Amdt. 31–4, 45 FR 60180, Sept. 11, 1980] 

§ 31.83

Conspicuity. 

The exterior surface of the envelope 

must be of a contrasting color or colors 
so that it will be conspicuous during 
operation. However, multicolored ban-
ners or streamers are acceptable if it 
can be shown that they are large 
enough, and there are enough of them 
of contrasting color, to make the bal-
loon conspicuous during flight. 

§ 31.85

Required basic equipment. 

In addition to any equipment re-

quired by this subchapter for a specific 
kind of operation, the following equip-
ment is required: 

(a) For all balloons: 
(1) [Reserved] 
(2) An altimeter. 
(3) A rate of climb indicator. 
(b) For hot air balloons: 
(1) A fuel quantity gauge. If fuel cells 

are used, means must be incorporated 
to indicate to the crew the quantity of 
fuel in each cell during flight. The 
means must be calibrated in appro-
priate units or in percent of fuel cell 
capacity. 

(2) An envelope temperature indi-

cator. 

(c) For captive gas balloons, a com-

pass. 

[Amdt. 31–2, 30 FR 3377, Mar. 13, 1965, as 
amended by Amdt. 31–3, 41 FR 55474, Dec. 20, 
1976; Amdt. 31–4, 45 FR 60180, Sept. 11, 1980] 

A

PPENDIX

A 

TO

P

ART

31—I

NSTRUCTIONS

 

FOR

C

ONTINUED

A

IRWORTHINESS

 

A

31.1

GENERAL

 

(a) This appendix specifies requirements 

for the preparation of Instructions for Con-
tinued Airworthiness as required by § 31.82. 

(b) The Instructions for Continued Air-

worthiness for each balloon must include the 
Instructions for Continued Airworthiness for 
all balloon parts required by this chapter 
and any required information relating to the 
interface of those parts with the balloon. If 
Instructions for Continued Airworthiness are 
not supplied by the part manufacturer for a 
balloon part, the Instructions for Continued 
Airworthiness for the balloon must include 
the information essential to the continued 
airworthiness of the balloon. 

(c) The applicant must submit to the FAA 

a program to show how changes to the In-
structions for Continued Airworthiness made 

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