Part 91: General Operating & Flight Rules
Subpart A - General
§91.1 Applicability. (a) This section describe the rules governing aircraft operated within the U.S., including waters within 3 nautical miles of the U.S. coast. (b) There are special rules for special places. For example, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ. Hawaii. Iraq. Korea. Ethiopia. Washington, D.C. Alaska. (c) The rules apply to people on board, not just pilots. §91.3 Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command. (a) The PIC is responsible and the final authority. (b) You can break the rules if you have to. (c) If the administrator requests that you send a written report explaining why you broke the rules, you have to send one. §91.5 You can't be PIC unless you're qualified. §91.7 Civil aircraft airworthiness. (a) You are only allowed to fly airworthy aircraft. (b) The PIC determines if the plane is airworthy and must discontinue the flight if the previously airworthy plane becomes unairworthy. §91.9 Civil aircraft flight manual, marking, and placard requirements. (a) You are not allowed to operate a flying machine unless you follow the operating instructions, markings, placards, etc. (b) The operating manual must be in the plane when you fly. (c) Where is part 45 of this chapter? (d) Helicopter. Why is this here? §91.11 You are not allowed to interfere with a crew member. §91.13 Careless or reckless operation. (a) You are not allowed to be reckless when flying. No endangering life or property. (b) You are not allowed to be reckless, even when taxiing the plane. §91.15 Dropping objects. You can drop stuff from an airplane but only if it doesn't create a hazard to person or property. §91.17 Alcohol or drugs. (a) You're not allowed to be a pilot or crewmember if (1) you've been drinking within the past 8 hours, [8 hours from bottle to throttle. Pass out wearing glasses and the glasses look like a figure eight.] (2) you are still under the influence of alcohol, (3) you've taken something that impairs your faculties, (4) or if there's .04 percent by weight or more alcohol in your blood. [Point at Dracula's Open mouth with his 4 fangs.] (b) No drunk or stoned passengers allowed on the plane unless it's a medical patient under proper case. (c) Pilots and crewmembers must (1) Take alcohol blood test when requested by law enforcment officer. (2) Provide results of test, not just take the test. (d) same as above (e) The test can be used as evidence in court. §91.19 Carriage of drugs etc. (a) You are not allowed to carry illegal drugs. (b) Unless you are. §91.21 Portable electronic devices. (a) Mostly not allowed on commercial flights or IFR. (b) Some devices are OK, for example, hearing aids. What? (c) Ultimately the pilot decides if it's OK (e.g., GPS is OK). §91.23 Truth-in-leasing rules Get an aviation lawyer. §91.25 Aviation Safety Reporting Program Safety reports won't be used against you.Subpart B - Flight Rules
§91.101 Applicability. We're talking about aircraft operating in the United States and within 12 nautical miles of the coast. [Why is it 12 now instead of 3 nautical miles?] §91.103 Preflight action. Before every flight the PIC must become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. Including: (a) For IFR flights or flights away from the airport, weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternative airports, known traffic delays, etc. (b) For all flights you're expected to know runway lengths and takeoff/landing requirements. Also the related performance information in the POH. For example, weight and balance, wind and temperature, density altitude. §91.105 Flight crewmembers at stations. (a) During takeoff and landing, and while en route, crewmembers shall (1) be at their assigned location, unless they need to be somewhere else. (2) keep seatbelts fastened. (b) Use shoulder harness if possible. §91.107 Use of safety belts and child restraints. (a) Unless the Administrator lets you do otherwise... (1) The PIC must ensure that all passengers know how to fasten and unfasten their seatbelt and shoulder harness. (2) You can't move or takeoff until everyone has been told it's time to fasten their seatbelts. (3) Every person on board must be in a seat with their seatbelt fastened during takeoff, landing, and taxiing. That is, unless you're flying a seaplane and need help pushing off from the dock. Or... (i) you're a baby (ii) or sport parachuting. If you're using a child restraint it must be an acceptable one and the child must be properly secured. §91.109 Flight instruction. (a) There are exceptions, but for the most part if you're doing flight instruction there must be dual controls in the plane. (b) No under the hood work (simulated IFR) (1) unless accompanined by an appropriate safety pilot, (2) and the safety pilot can see well. (c) The safety pilot must be a valid PIC. §91.111 Operating near other aircraft. (a) Don't get too close to other planes. (b) No formation flying unless arrangments have been made with every PIC in the formation. (c) No passengers for hire in formation flights. §91.113 Right-of-way rules (a) Seaplanes have slightly different but mostly the same rules. (b) You must see and avoid other aircraft at all times, and yield right-of-way until well clear. (c) An aircraft in distress gets the right-of-way trump card. (d) Converging aircraft of the same category: the one on the right has the right-of-way. (1) A balloon -- because it's the least maneuverable -- has the right-of-way over all other aircraft. (2) Gliders have the right-of-way over airships, powered parachutes, weight-shift-control aircrraft, airplanes, and helicopters. (3) An airship has the right-of-way over powered parachutes, weight-shift-control aircrraft, airplanes, and helicopters. In short, the least maneuverable gets the most slack -- the right-of-way. However, an aircraft towing or refueling other aircraft has the right-of-way over all other engine driven aircraft. (e) When approaching head-on, alter course to the right. [Right turn right away.] (f) An aircraft that is being overtaken has the right-of-way (it's less maneuverable), and the overtaking aircraft shall overtake on the right. (g) Landing. Aircraft, while on final approach to land or while landing, have the right-of-way over other aircraft in flight or operating on the surface, except that they shall not take advantage of this rule to force an aircraft off the runway surface which has already landed and is attempting to make way for an aircraft on final approach. When two or more aircraft are approaching an airport for the purpose of landing, the aircraft at the lower altitude has the right-of-way, but it shall not take advantage of this rule to cut in front of another which is on final approach to land or to overtake that aircraft. [Don't cut in line and don't push the people ahead of you who are in line.] §91.117 Aircraft speed. Unless you get authorization to break the rules... (a) The speed limit below 10,000 feet MSL is 250 knots. [School zone is 25mph.] (b) The speed limit at and below 2,500 feet above the surface of the earth within 4 nautical miles of a Class C or Class D airspace is 200 knots. (c) The speed limit under Class B airspace and in VFR corridors through Class B airspace is also 200 knots. (d) But don't fly slower than your airplane's minimum safe airspeed regardless of the speed limit. §91.119 Minimum safe altitudes: General. Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, you are not allowed to fly below the following altitudes. (a) Anywhere. If your power fails you must be able to make an emergency landing without causing undue hazard to persons or property on the surface. (b) Over congested areas. An altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft. [A variant of 512 BAH] (c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, unless you're over open water or a sparsely populated area. In that case, just stay at least 500 feet away from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure. [A perversion of 512 BAH. Stay 500 feet below, above, and away from all 'clouds'.] (c) Helicopters. Helicopters can do whatever they want so long as they're safe and follow the helicopter-specific rules. §91.121 Altimeter settings. (a) Your altimeter must be set as follows (1) Below 18,000 feet MSL (i) to the current reported altimeter setting of a station along your route and within 100 nautical miles, or (ii) to an appropriate available station, if the above is not available; or (iii) if you don't have a radio and can't get a report, then set the altimeter to the elevation of the departure airport, or use [some other] appropriate altimeter setting available before departure. (2) At or above 18,000 feet MSL, set it to 29.92" Hg. (b) TODO? (c) TODO? §91.123 Compliance with ATC clearances and instructions (a) You are expected to comply with ATC clearances unless you have a good reason not to. If for some reason you don't like your clearance and you're flying IFR below Class A airspace and you can continue the flight VFR, then it's OK to cancle your ATC clearance. If you're not exactly sure what clearance you have, you're required to immediately request clarification from ATC. (b) Again, unless there's an emergency, you must play by ATC rules. (c) If you must deviate from ATC instructions, then you should let them know as soon as possible. (d) If ATC gives you priority in an emergency, and if the manager of that ATC facility requests that you send in a report explaining the situation (why you needed that emergency priority), then you are required to write a report explaining the situation and you must send it in within 48 hours. (e) You can't use someone else's clearance as your own. §91.125 ATC light signals. ATC light signals mean different things depending upon whether you're on the ground or in the air. gnd: Steady RED Stop gnd: Flashing GREEN Cleared to taxi. gnd: Steady GREEN Cleared for takeoff. air: Flashing RED Airport unsafe -- do not land air: Steady RED Give way to other aircraft and continue circling. air: Flashing GREEN Return for landing. Wait for clearance. air: Steady GREEN Cleared to land. gnd: Flashing RED Taxi clear of runway. gnd: Flashing WHITE Taxi to parking. air/gnd: Alternating red and green -- Exercise extreme caution. If Santa Claus is in the control tower playing with the lights, or if they have the RedGreen show on, then something is likely very wrong; be careful. Flashing white lights when viewed from the air at night could be anything. But not the control tower. Only when you're on the ground can you tell if the light is coming from the control tower. §91.126 Operating on or in the vicinity of an airport in Class G airspace (a) You have to follow these rules unless you've been given authorization and don't have to follow these rules. (b) Direction of turns. When approaching to land and there's no control tower (1) Make all turns to the left unless the airport displays signals indicating that turns are to be made to the right. [When in doubt make your turns to the left because you can see better.] (2) Helicopters and powered parachutes should avoid fixed-wing aircraft traffic flow. (c) Flap settings. A note for turbojet-powered aircraft. (d) Communications with control towers. You must maintain radio communication with the tower, from 4 nautical miles away, from the surface to 2500 feet AGL. If radio fails, OK to land in VFR conditions and if clearance to land is received. §91.127 Operating on or in the vicinity of an airport in Class E airspace. (a) You have to follow the Class G airspace rules above (section 91.126), unless you don't have to. This is so we don't have to keep repeating ourselves and saying the same thing over again. (b) Departures. You must follow an airport's established traffic patterns. (c) Communications with control towers. The same thing over again! §91.129 Operating in Class Delta airspace. (a) General. You have to comply with the previous rules about airspace. (b) Deviations. ATC is allowed to issue deviations from normal procedures. (c) Communications. If you're in Class D airspace, here are your two-way radio requirements. (1) Arrival or through flight. You must establish communications with ATC before arriving and while present. (2) Departing flight. (i) Yes, you must. (ii) From a satellite airport, as soon as practicable. (d) Communications failure. (1) If flying IFR, follow the IFR rules. (2) If flying VFR, then just like it says above, you can land if (i) it's VFR weather, (ii) you can see the tower, and they (iii) give you clearance to land. (e) Minimum altitudes. (1) Large and turbine-powered planes fly 1,500 feet AGL traffic patterns. (2) Large and turbine-powered planes must fly at or above the glide slope. (3) If there's a VASI, use it. (f) Approaches. (1) Airplanes fly left traffic patterns. (2) Helicopters avoid airplane traffic patterns. (g) Departures. (1) Follow the established patterns. (2) Big planes climb to 1,500 feet above the surface as fast as practicable. (h) Noise abatement. Follow the be quiet rules. (i) Takeoff, landing, taxi clerance. ATC has to give you clearance. A clearance to "taxi to" any point other than an assigned takeoff runway is clearance to cross all runways that intersect the taxi route to that point. However, a clearance to "taxi to" the takeoff runway assigned to the aircraft is not a clearance to cross that assigned takeoff runway, or to taxi on that runway at any point, but is a clearance to cross other runways that intersect the taxi route to that assigend takeoff runway. [Who determines the taxi route? Suppose I'm at B4 at BFI and want to return to NE Parking. Do I cross at A7 or A1?]
©2006-2008 Steve Isaacson. All rights reserved. steve.isaacson@faraim.org