FAR/AIM: Subpart S—Flight Time Limitations: Supplemental Operations

• § 121.500 Applicability.
• § 121.503 Flight time limitations: Pilots: airplanes.
• § 121.505 Flight time limitations: Two pilot crews: airplanes.
• § 121.507 Flight time limitations: Three pilot crews: airplanes.
• § 121.509 Flight time limitations: Four pilot crews: airplanes.
• § 121.511 Flight time limitations: Flight engineers: airplanes.
• § 121.513 Flight time limitations: Overseas and international operations: airplanes.
• § 121.515 Flight time limitations: All airmen: airplanes.
• § 121.517 Flight time limitations: Other commercial flying: airplanes.
• § 121.519 Flight time limitations: Deadhead transportation: airplanes.
• § 121.521 Flight time limitations: Crew of two pilots and one additional airman as required.
• § 121.523 Flight time limitations: Crew of three or more pilots and additional airmen as required.
• § 121.525 Flight time limitations: Pilots serving in more than one kind of flight crew.
• § 121.527 Fatigue risk management system.

 

This subpart prescribes flight time limitations and rest requirements for supplemental all-cargo operations, except that:

(a) Certificate holders conducting operations with aircraft having a passenger seat configuration of 30 seats or fewer, excluding each crewmember seat, and a payload capacity of 7,500 pound or less, may comply with the applicable requirements of §§ 135.261 through 135.273 of this chapter.

(b) A certificate holder may apply the flightcrew member flight time and duty limitations and requirements of part 117 of this chapter. A certificate holder may choose to apply part 117 to its—

(1) All-cargo operations conducted under contract to a U.S. Government agency.

(2) All-cargo operations not conducted under contract to a U.S. Government agency,

(3) A certificate holder may elect to treat operations in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section differently but, once having decided to conduct those operations under part 117, may not segregate those operations between this subpart and part 117.

 

(a) A certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule a pilot to fly in an airplane for eight hours or less during any 24 consecutive hours without a rest period during those eight hours.

(b) Each pilot who has flown more than eight hours during any 24 consecutive hours must be given at least 16 hours of rest before being assigned to any duty with the certificate holder.

(c) Each certificate holder conducting supplemental operations shall relieve each pilot from all duty for at least 24 consecutive hours at least once during any seven consecutive days.

(d) No pilot may fly as a crewmember in air transportation more than 100 hours during any 30 consecutive days.

(e) No pilot may fly as a crewmember in air transportation more than 1,000 hours during any calendar year.

(f) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, the certificate holder may, in conducting a transcontinental nonstop flight, schedule a flight crewmember for more than eight but not more than 10 hours of continuous duty aloft without an intervening rest period, if—

(1) The flight is in an airplane with a pressurization system that is operative at the beginning of the flight;

(2) The flight crew consists of at least two pilots and a flight engineer; and

(3) The certificate holder uses, in conducting the operation, an air/ground communication service that is independent of systems operated by the United States, and a dispatch organization, both of which are approved by the Administrator as adequate to serve the terminal points concerned.

 

(a) If a certificate holder conducting supplemental operations schedules a pilot to fly more than eight hours during any 24 consecutive hours, it shall give him an intervening rest period at or before the end of eight scheduled hours of flight duty. This rest period must be at least twice the number of hours flown since the preceding rest period, but not less than eight hours. The certificate holder conducting supplemental operations shall relieve that pilot of all duty with it during that rest period.

(b) No pilot of an airplane that has a crew of two pilots may be on duty for more than 16 hours during any 24 consecutive hours.

 

(a) No certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule a pilot—

(1) For flight deck duty in an airplane that has a crew of three pilots for more than eight hours in any 24 consecutive hours; or

(2) To be aloft in an airplane that has a crew of three pilot for more than 12 hours in any 24 consecutive hours.

(b) No pilot of an airplane that has a crew of three pilots may be on duty for more than 18 hours in any 24 consecutive hours.

 

(a) No certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule a pilot—

(1) For flight deck duty in an airplane that has a crew of four pilots for more than eight hours in any 24 consecutive hours; or

(2) To be aloft in an airplane that has a crew of four pilots for more than 16 hours in any 24 consecutive hours.

(b) No pilot of an airplane that has a crew of four pilots may be on duty for more than 20 hours in any 24 consecutive hours.

 

(a) In any operation in which one flight engineer is serving the flight time limitations in §§ 121.503 and 121.505 apply to that flight engineer.

(b) In any operation in which more than one flight engineer is serving and the flight crew contains more than two pilots the flight time limitations in § 121.509 apply in place of those in § 121.505.

 

In place of the flight time limitations in §§ 121.503 through 121.511, a certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may elect to comply with the flight time limitations of §§ 121.515 and 121.521 through 121.525 for operations conducted—

(a) Between a place in the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia, or Alaska, and any place outside thereof;

(b) Between any two places outside the 48 contiguous States, the District of Columbia, and Alaska; or

(c) Between two places within the State of Alaska or the State of Hawaii.

 

No airman may be aloft as a flight crewmember more than 1,000 hours in any 12-calendar-month period.

 

No airman who is employed by a certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may do any other commercial flying, if that commercial flying plus his flying in operations under this part will exceed any flight time limitation in this part.

 

Time spent by an airman in deadhead transportation to or from a duty assignment is not considered to be part of any rest period.

 

(a) No certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule an airman to be aloft as a member of the flight crew in an airplane that has a crew of two pilots and at least one additional flight crewmember for more than 12 hours during any 24 consecutive hours.

(b) If an airman has been aloft as a member of a flight crew for 20 or more hours during any 48 consecutive hours or 24 or more hours during any 72 consecutive hours, he must be given at least 18 hours of rest before being assigned to any duty with the certificate holder. In any case, he must be relieved of all duty for at least 24 consecutive hours during any seven consecutive days.

(c) No airman may be aloft as a flight crewmember more than—

(1) 120 hours during any 30 consecutive days; or

(2) 300 hours during any 90 consecutive days.

 

(a) No certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule an airman for flight deck duty as a flight engineer, or navigator in a crew of three or more pilots and additional airmen for a total of more than 12 hours during any 24 consecutive hours.

(b) Each certificate holder conducting supplemental operations shall schedule its flight hours to provide adequate rest periods on the ground for each airman who is away from his principal operations base. It shall also provide adequate sleeping quarters on the airplane whenever an airman is scheduled to be aloft as a flight crewmember for more than 12 hours during any 24 consecutive hours.

(c) No certificate holder conducting supplemental operations may schedule any flight crewmember to be on continuous duty for more than 30 hours. Such a crewmember is considered to be on continuous duty from the time he reports for duty until the time he is released from duty for a rest period of at least 10 hours on the ground. If a flight crewmember is on continuous duty for more than 24 hours (whether scheduled or not) during any scheduled duty period, he must be given at least 16 hours for rest on the ground after completing the last flight scheduled for that scheduled duty period before being assigned any further flight duty.

(d) If a flight crewmember is required to engage in deadhead transportation for more than four hours before beginning flight duty, one half of the time spent in deadhead transportation must be treated as duty time for the purpose of complying with duty time limitations, unless he is given at least 10 hours of rest on the ground before being assigned to flight duty.

(e) Each certificate holder conducting supplemental operations shall give each airman, upon return to his operations base from any flight or series of flights, a rest period that is at least twice the total number of hours he was aloft as a flight crewmember since the last rest period at his base, before assigning him to any further duty. If the required rest period is more than seven days, that part of the rest period that is more than seven days may be given at any time before the pilot is again scheduled for flight duty.

(f) No airman may be aloft as a flight crewmember for more than 350 hours in any 90 consecutive days.

 

(a) This section applies to each pilot assigned during any 30 consecutive days to more than one type of flight crew.

(b) The flight time limitations for a pilot who is scheduled for duty aloft for more than 20 hours in two-pilot crews in 30 consecutive days, or whose assignment in such a crew is interrupted more than once in any 30 consecutive days by assignment to a crew of two or more pilots and an additional flight crewmember, are those listed in §§ 121.503 through 121.509, as appropriate.

(c) Except for a pilot covered by paragraph (b) of this section, the flight time limitations for a pilot scheduled for duty aloft for more than 20 hours in two-pilot and additional flight crewmember crews in 30 consecutive days or whose assignment in such a crew is interrupted more than once in any 30 consecutive days by assignment to a crew consisting of three pilots and an additional flight crewmember, are those set forth in § 121.521.

(d) The flight time limitations for a pilot to whom paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section do not apply, and who is scheduled for duty aloft for a total of not more than 20 hours within 30 consecutive days in two-pilot crews (with or without additional flight crewmembers) are those set forth in § 121.523.

(e) The flight time limitations for a pilot assigned to each of two-pilot, two-pilot and additional flight crewmember, and three-pilot and additional flight crewmember crews in 30 consecutive days, and who is not subject to paragraph (b), (c), or (d) of this section, are those listed in § 121.523.

 

(a) No certificate holder may exceed any provision of this subpart unless approved by the FAA under a Fatigue Risk Management System.

(b) The Fatigue Risk Management System must include:

(1) A fatigue risk management policy.

(2) An education and awareness training program.

(3) A fatigue reporting system.

(4) A system for monitoring flightcrew fatigue.

(5) An incident reporting process.

(6) A performance evaluation.