455 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 135.160 

§ 135.158 Pitot heat indication systems. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b) of this section, after April 12, 1981, 
no person may operate a transport cat-
egory airplane equipped with a flight 
instrument pitot heating system unless 
the airplane is also equipped with an 
operable pitot heat indication system 
that complies with § 25.1326 of this 
chapter in effect on April 12, 1978. 

(b) A certificate holder may obtain 

an extension of the April 12, 1981, com-
pliance date specified in paragraph (a) 
of this section, but not beyond April 12, 
1983, from the Executive Director, 
Flight Standards Service if the certifi-
cate holder— 

(1) Shows that due to circumstances 

beyond its control it cannot comply by 
the specified compliance date; and 

(2) Submits by the specified compli-

ance date a schedule for compliance, 
acceptable to the Executive Director, 
indicating that compliance will be 
achieved at the earliest practicable 
date. 

[Doc. No. 18094, Amdt. 135–17, 46 FR 48306, 
Aug. 31, 1981, as amended by Amdt. 135–33, 54 
FR 39294, Sept. 25, 1989; Docket FAA–2018– 
0119, Amdt. 135–139, 83 FR 9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 135.159 Equipment requirements: 

Carrying passengers under VFR at 

night or under VFR over-the-top 

conditions. 

No person may operate an aircraft 

carrying passengers under VFR at 
night or under VFR over-the-top, un-
less it is equipped with— 

(a) A gyroscopic rate-of-turn indi-

cator except on the following aircraft: 

(1) Airplanes with a third attitude in-

strument system usable through flight 
attitudes of 360 degrees of pitch-and- 
roll and installed in accordance with 
the instrument requirements pre-
scribed in § 121.305(j) of this chapter. 

(2) Helicopters with a third attitude 

instrument system usable through 
flight attitudes of 

±

80 degrees of pitch 

and 

±

120 degrees of roll and installed in 

accordance with § 29.1303(g) of this 
chapter. 

(3) Helicopters with a maximum cer-

tificated takeoff weight of 6,000 pounds 
or less. 

(b) A slip skid indicator. 
(c) A gyroscopic bank-and-pitch indi-

cator. 

(d) A gyroscopic direction indicator. 
(e) A generator or generators able to 

supply all probable combinations of 
continuous in-flight electrical loads for 
required equipment and for recharging 
the battery. 

(f) For night flights— 
(1) An anticollision light system; 
(2) Instrument lights to make all in-

struments, switches, and gauges easily 
readable, the direct rays of which are 
shielded from the pilots’ eyes; and 

(3) A flashlight having at least two 

size ‘‘D’’ cells or equivalent. 

(g) For the purpose of paragraph (e) 

of this section, a continuous in-flight 
electrical load includes one that draws 
current continuously during flight, 
such as radio equipment and elec-
trically driven instruments and lights, 
but does not include occasional inter-
mittent loads. 

(h) Notwithstanding provisions of 

paragraphs (b), (c), and (d), helicopters 
having a maximum certificated takeoff 
weight of 6,000 pounds or less may be 
operated until January 6, 1988, under 
visual flight rules at night without a 
slip skid indicator, a gyroscopic bank- 
and-pitch indicator, or a gyroscopic di-
rection indicator. 

[Doc. No. 24550, 51 FR 40709, Nov. 7, 1986, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–38, 55 FR 43310, Oct. 
26, 1990] 

§ 135.160 Radio altimeters for rotor-

craft operations. 

(a) After April 24, 2017, no person may 

operate a rotorcraft unless that rotor-
craft is equipped with an operable 
FAA-approved radio altimeter, or an 
FAA-approved device that incorporates 
a radio altimeter, unless otherwise au-
thorized in the certificate holder’s ap-
proved minimum equipment list. 

(b) 

Deviation authority. 

The Adminis-

trator may authorize deviations from 
paragraph (a) of this section for rotor-
craft that are unable to incorporate a 
radio altimeter. This deviation will be 
issued as a Letter of Deviation Author-
ity. The deviation may be terminated 
or amended at any time by the Admin-
istrator. The request for deviation au-
thority is applicable to rotorcraft with 
a maximum gross takeoff weight no 
greater than 2,950 pounds. The request 
for deviation authority must contain a 

456 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 135.161 

complete statement of the cir-
cumstances and justification, and must 
be submitted to the responsible Flight 
Standards office, not less than 60 days 
prior to the date of intended oper-
ations. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2010–0982, 79 FR 9973, Feb. 21, 
2014, as amended by Docket FAA–2018–0119, 
Amdt. 135–139, 83 FR 9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 135.161 Communication and naviga-

tion equipment for aircraft oper-
ations under VFR over routes navi-
gated by pilotage. 

(a) No person may operate an aircraft 

under VFR over routes that can be 
navigated by pilotage unless the air-
craft is equipped with the two-way 
radio communication equipment nec-
essary under normal operating condi-
tions to fulfill the following: 

(1) Communicate with at least one 

appropriate station from any point on 
the route, except in remote locations 
and areas of mountainous terrain 
where geographical constraints make 
such communication impossible. 

(2) Communicate with appropriate air 

traffic control facilities from any point 
within Class B, Class C, or Class D air-
space, or within a Class E surface area 
designated for an airport in which 
flights are intended; and 

(3) Receive meteorological informa-

tion from any point en route, except in 
remote locations and areas of moun-
tainous terrain where geographical 
constraints make such communication 
impossible. 

(b) No person may operate an aircraft 

at night under VFR over routes that 
can be navigated by pilotage unless 
that aircraft is equipped with— 

(1) Two-way radio communication 

equipment necessary under normal op-
erating conditions to fulfill the func-
tions specified in paragraph (a) of this 
section; and 

(2) Navigation equipment suitable for 

the route to be flown. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2002–14002, 72 FR 31684, June 7, 
2007, as amended by Amdt. 135–116, 74 FR 
20205, May 1, 2009] 

§ 135.163 Equipment requirements: 

Aircraft carrying passengers under 

IFR. 

No person may operate an aircraft 

under IFR, carrying passengers, unless 
it has— 

(a) A vertical speed indicator; 
(b) A free-air temperature indicator; 
(c) A heated pitot tube for each air-

speed indicator; 

(d) A power failure warning device or 

vacuum indicator to show the power 
available for gyroscopic instruments 
from each power source; 

(e) An alternate source of static pres-

sure for the altimeter and the airspeed 
and vertical speed indicators; 

(f) For a single-engine aircraft: 
(1) Two independent electrical power 

generating sources each of which is 
able to supply all probable combina-
tions of continuous inflight electrical 
loads for required instruments and 
equipment; or 

(2) In addition to the primary elec-

trical power generating source, a 
standby battery or an alternate source 
of electric power that is capable of sup-
plying 150% of the electrical loads of 
all required instruments and equip-
ment necessary for safe emergency op-
eration of the aircraft for at least one 
hour; 

(g) For multi-engine aircraft, at least 

two generators or alternators each of 
which is on a separate engine, of which 
any combination of one-half of the 
total number are rated sufficiently to 
supply the electrical loads of all re-
quired instruments and equipment nec-
essary for safe emergency operation of 
the aircraft except that for multi-en-
gine helicopters, the two required gen-
erators may be mounted on the main 
rotor drive train; and 

(h) Two independent sources of en-

ergy (with means of selecting either) of 
which at least one is an engine-driven 
pump or generator, each of which is 
able to drive all required gyroscopic in-
struments powered by, or to be pow-
ered by, that particular source and in-
stalled so that failure of one instru-
ment or source, does not interfere with 
the energy supply to the remaining in-
struments or the other energy source 
unless, for single-engine aircraft in all 
cargo operations only, the rate of turn