695 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 91.129 

pilot in command may operate that 
aircraft and land if weather conditions 
are at or above basic VFR weather 
minimums, visual contact with the 
tower is maintained, and a clearance to 
land is received. If the aircraft radio 
fails while in flight under IFR, the 
pilot must comply with § 91.185. 

[Doc. No. 24458, 56 FR 65658, Dec. 17, 1991, as 
amended by Amdt. 91–239, 59 FR 11693, Mar. 
11, 1994] 

§ 91.129

Operations in Class D air-

space. 

(a) 

General.  Unless otherwise author-

ized or required by the ATC facility 
having jurisdiction over the Class D 
airspace area, each person operating an 
aircraft in Class D airspace must com-
ply with the applicable provisions of 
this section. In addition, each person 
must comply with §§ 91.126 and 91.127. 
For the purpose of this section, the pri-
mary airport is the airport for which 
the Class D airspace area is designated. 
A satellite airport is any other airport 
within the Class D airspace area. 

(b) 

Deviations.  An operator may devi-

ate from any provision of this section 
under the provisions of an ATC author-
ization issued by the ATC facility hav-
ing jurisdiction over the airspace con-
cerned. ATC may authorize a deviation 
on a continuing basis or for an indi-
vidual flight, as appropriate. 

(c) 

Communications. Each person oper-

ating an aircraft in Class D airspace 
must meet the following two-way radio 
communications requirements: 

(1) 

Arrival or through flight. Each per-

son must establish two-way radio com-
munications with the ATC facility (in-
cluding foreign ATC in the case of for-
eign airspace designated in the United 
States) providing air traffic services 
prior to entering that airspace and 
thereafter maintain those communica-
tions while within that airspace. 

(2) 

Departing flight. Each person— 

(i) From the primary airport or sat-

ellite airport with an operating control 
tower must establish and maintain 
two-way radio communications with 
the control tower, and thereafter as in-
structed by ATC while operating in the 
Class D airspace area; or 

(ii) From a satellite airport without 

an operating control tower, must es-
tablish and maintain two-way radio 

communications with the ATC facility 
having jurisdiction over the Class D 
airspace area as soon as practicable 
after departing. 

(d) 

Communications failure. Each per-

son who operates an aircraft in a Class 
D airspace area must maintain two- 
way radio communications with the 
ATC facility having jurisdiction over 
that area. 

(1) If the aircraft radio fails in flight 

under IFR, the pilot must comply with 
§ 91.185 of the part. 

(2) If the aircraft radio fails in flight 

under VFR, the pilot in command may 
operate that aircraft and land if— 

(i) Weather conditions are at or 

above basic VFR weather minimums; 

(ii) Visual contact with the tower is 

maintained; and 

(iii) A clearance to land is received. 
(e) 

Minimum altitudes when operating 

to an airport in Class D airspace. (1) Un-
less required by the applicable dis-
tance-from-cloud criteria, each pilot 
operating a large or turbine-powered 
airplane must enter the traffic pattern 
at an altitude of at least 1,500 feet 
above the elevation of the airport and 
maintain at least 1,500 feet until fur-
ther descent is required for a safe land-
ing. 

(2) Each pilot operating a large or 

turbine-powered airplane approaching 
to land on a runway served by an in-
strument approach procedure with 
vertical guidance, if the airplane is so 
equipped, must: 

(i) Operate that airplane at an alti-

tude at or above the glide path between 
the published final approach fix and 
the decision altitude (DA), or decision 
height (DH), as applicable; or 

(ii) If compliance with the applicable 

distance-from-cloud criteria requires 
glide path interception closer in, oper-
ate that airplane at or above the glide 
path, between the point of interception 
of glide path and the DA or the DH. 

(3) Each pilot operating an airplane 

approaching to land on a runway 
served by a visual approach slope indi-
cator must maintain an altitude at or 
above the glide path until a lower alti-
tude is necessary for a safe landing. 

(4) Paragraphs (e)(2) and (e)(3) of this 

section do not prohibit normal brack-
eting maneuvers above or below the 

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696 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 91.130 

glide path that are conducted for the 
purpose of remaining on the glide path. 

(f) 

Approaches.  Except when con-

ducting a circling approach under part 
97 of this chapter or unless otherwise 
required by ATC, each pilot must— 

(1) Circle the airport to the left, if op-

erating an airplane; or 

(2) Avoid the flow of fixed-wing air-

craft, if operating a helicopter. 

(g) 

Departures.  No person may oper-

ate an aircraft departing from an air-
port except in compliance with the fol-
lowing: 

(1) Each pilot must comply with any 

departure procedures established for 
that airport by the FAA. 

(2) Unless otherwise required by the 

prescribed departure procedure for that 
airport or the applicable distance from 
clouds criteria, each pilot of a turbine- 
powered airplane and each pilot of a 
large airplane must climb to an alti-
tude of 1,500 feet above the surface as 
rapidly as practicable. 

(h) 

Noise abatement. Where a formal 

runway use program has been estab-
lished by the FAA, each pilot of a large 
or turbine-powered airplane assigned a 
noise abatement runway by ATC must 
use that runway. However, consistent 
with the final authority of the pilot in 
command concerning the safe oper-
ation of the aircraft as prescribed in 
§ 91.3(a), ATC may assign a different 
runway if requested by the pilot in the 
interest of safety. 

(i) 

Takeoff, landing, taxi clearance. No 

person may, at any airport with an op-
erating control tower, operate an air-
craft on a runway or taxiway, or take 
off or land an aircraft, unless an appro-
priate clearance is received from ATC. 

[Doc. No. 24458, 56 FR 65658, Dec. 17, 1991, as 
amended by Amdt. 91–234, 58 FR 48793, Sept. 
20, 1993; Amdt. 91–296, 72 FR 31678, June 7, 
2007; 77 FR 28250, May 14, 2012] 

§ 91.130

Operations in Class C air-

space. 

(a) 

General.  Unless otherwise author-

ized by ATC, each aircraft operation in 
Class C airspace must be conducted in 
compliance with this section and 
§ 91.129. For the purpose of this section, 
the primary airport is the airport for 
which the Class C airspace area is des-
ignated. A satellite airport is any other 

airport within the Class C airspace 
area. 

(b) 

Traffic patterns. No person may 

take off or land an aircraft at a sat-
ellite airport within a Class C airspace 
area except in compliance with FAA 
arrival and departure traffic patterns. 

(c) 

Communications. Each person oper-

ating an aircraft in Class C airspace 
must meet the following two-way radio 
communications requirements: 

(1) 

Arrival or through flight. Each per-

son must establish two-way radio com-
munications with the ATC facility (in-
cluding foreign ATC in the case of for-
eign airspace designated in the United 
States) providing air traffic services 
prior to entering that airspace and 
thereafter maintain those communica-
tions while within that airspace. 

(2) 

Departing flight. Each person— 

(i) From the primary airport or sat-

ellite airport with an operating control 
tower must establish and maintain 
two-way radio communications with 
the control tower, and thereafter as in-
structed by ATC while operating in the 
Class C airspace area; or 

(ii) From a satellite airport without 

an operating control tower, must es-
tablish and maintain two-way radio 
communications with the ATC facility 
having jurisdiction over the Class C 
airspace area as soon as practicable 
after departing. 

(d) 

Equipment requirements. Unless 

otherwise authorized by the ATC hav-
ing jurisdiction over the Class C air-
space area, no person may operate an 
aircraft within a Class C airspace area 
designated for an airport unless that 
aircraft is equipped with the applicable 
equipment specified in § 91.215, and 
after January 1, 2020, § 91.225. 

(e) 

Deviations.  An operator may devi-

ate from any provision of this section 
under the provisions of an ATC author-
ization issued by the ATC facility hav-
ing jurisdiction over the airspace con-
cerned. ATC may authorize a deviation 
on a continuing basis or for an indi-
vidual flight, as appropriate. 

[Doc. No. 24458, 56 FR 65659, Dec. 17, 1991, as 
amended by Amdt. 91–232, 58 FR 40736, July 
30, 1993; Amdt. 91–239, 59 FR 11693, Mar. 11, 
1994; Amdt. 91–314, 75 FR 30193, May 28, 2010] 

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