Federal Aviation Administration, DOT § 136.11

the FAA, the operator must dem- (1) Procedures for fastening and un- onstrate to the FAA that such a pre- fastening seatbelts; server can be used during an evacu- (2) Prohibition on smoking; and ation and will allow all passengers to (3) Procedures for opening exits and exit the aircraft without blocking the exiting the aircraft. exit. Each occupant must have the (b) For flight segments over water physical capacity to wear and inflate beyond the shoreline, briefings must the type of device used once briefed by also include: the commercial air tour operator. Seat (1) Procedures for water ditching; cushions do not meet this definition. (2) Use of required life preservers; and Raw terrain means any area on the (3) Procedures for emergency exit surface, including water, devoid of any from the aircraft in the event of a person, structure, vehicle, or vessel. water . Shoreline means that area of the land adjacent to the water of an ocean, sea, § 136.9 Life preservers for over water. lake, pond, river or tidal basin that is (a) Except as provided in paragraphs above the high water mark and ex- (b) or (c) of this section, the operator cludes land areas unsuitable for land- and pilot in command of commercial ing such as vertical cliffs or land inter- air tours over water beyond the shore- mittently under water during the par- line must ensure that each occupant is ticular flight. wearing a life preserver from before Suitable landing area for helicopters until flight is no longer over means an area that provides the oper- water. ator reasonable capability to land (b) The operator and pilot in com- without damage to equipment or injury mand of a commercial air tour over to persons. Suitable landing areas must water beyond the shoreline must en- be site-specific, designated by the oper- sure that a life preserver is readily ator, and accepted by the FAA. These available for its intended use and eas- site-specific areas would provide an ily accessible to each occupant if: area for a single-en- (1) The aircraft is equipped with gine helicopter or a multiengine heli- floats; or copter that does not have the capa- (2)The airplane is within power-off bility to reach a safe landing area after gliding distance to the shoreline for an engine power loss. the duration of the time that the flight (e) In an in-flight emergency requir- is over water. ing immediate action, the pilot in com- (3)The aircraft is a multi engine that mand may deviate from any rule of can be operated with the critical en- this subpart to the extent required to gine inoperative at a weight that will meet that emergency. allow it to climb, at least 50 feet a minute, at an altitude of 1,000 feet § 136.3 Letters of Authorization. above the surface, as provided in the Operators subject to this subpart who Airplane Flight Manual or the Rotor- have Letters of Authorization may use craft Flight Manual, as appropriate. the procedures described in 14 CFR (c) No life preserver is required if the 119.51 to amend or have the FAA recon- overwater operation is necessary only sider those Letters of Authorization. for takeoff or landing.

§ 136.5 Additional requirements for § 136.11 Helicopter floats for over Hawaii. water. No person may conduct a commercial (a) A helicopter used in commercial air tour in the State of Hawaii unless air tours over water beyond the shore- they comply with the additional re- line must be equipped with fixed floats quirements and restrictions in appen- or an inflatable flotation system ade- dix A to part 136. quate to accomplish a safe emergency ditching, if— § 136.7 Passenger briefings. (1) It is a single-engine helicopter; or (a) Before takeoff each pilot in com- (2) It is a multi-engine helicopter mand shall ensure that each passenger that cannot be operated with the crit- has been briefed on the following: ical engine inoperative at a weight

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that will allow it to climb, at least 50 height/velocity information in the feet a minute, at an altitude of 1,000 RFM is valid. feet above the surface, as provided in (b) Except for the approach to and the Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM). transition from a hover for the purpose (b) Each helicopter that is required of , or during take- to be equipped with an inflatable flota- off and landing, the pilot in command tion system must have: must make a reasonable plan to oper- (1) The activation switch for the flo- ate the helicopter outside of the cau- tation system on one of the primary tion/warning/avoid area of the limiting flight controls, and height/velocity diagram. (2) The flotation system armed when (c) Except for the approach to and the helicopter is over water and is fly- transition from a hover for the purpose ing at a speed that does not exceed the of takeoff and landing, during takeoff maximum speed prescribed in the and landing, or when necessary for Rotorcraft Flight Manual for flying safety of flight, the pilot in command with the flotation system armed. must operate the helicopter in compli- (c) Fixed floats or an inflatable flota- ance with the plan described in para- tion system is not required for a heli- graph (b) of this section. copter under this section if: §§ 136.15–136.29 [Reserved] (1) The helicopter is over water only during the takeoff or landing portion of Subpart B—National Parks Air Tour the flight, or Management (2) The helicopter is operated within power-off gliding distance to the shore- line for the duration of the flight and SOURCE: Docket. No. FAA–1998–4521, 72 FR each occupant is wearing a life pre- 6912, Feb. 13, 2007, unless otherwise noted. server from before takeoff until the § 136.31 Applicability. aircraft is no longer over water. (a) This part restates and para- (d) Air tour operators required to phrases several sections of the Na- comply with paragraphs (a) and/or (b) tional Parks Air Tour Management Act of this section must meet these re- of 2000, including section 803 (codified quirements on or before September 5, at 49 U.S.C. 40128) and sections 806 and 2008. 809. This subpart clarifies the require- § 136.13 Helicopter performance plan ments for the development of an air and operations. tour management plan for each park in the national park system where com- (a) Each operator must complete a mercial air tour operations are flown. performance plan before each heli- (b) Except as provided in paragraph copter commercial air tour, or flight (c) of this section, this subpart applies operated under 14 CFR 91.146 or 91.147. to each commercial air tour operator The pilot in command must review for who conducts a commercial air tour accuracy and comply with the perform- operation over— ance plan on the day the flight is (1) A unit of the national park sys- flown. The performance plan must be tem; based on the information in the Rotor- (2) Tribal lands as defined in this sub- craft Flight Manual (RFM) for that part; or helicopter, taking into consideration (3) Any area within one-half mile the maximum density altitude for outside the boundary of any unit of the which the operation is planned, in national park system. order to determine: (c) This subpart does not apply to a (1) Maximum gross weight and center commercial air tour operator con- of gravity (CG) limitations for hov- ducting a commercial air tour oper- ering in ground effect; ation— (2) Maximum gross weight and CG (1) Over the Grand Canyon National limitations for hovering out of ground Park; effect; and (2) Over that portion of tribal lands (3) Maximum combination of weight, within or abutting the Grand Canyon altitude, and temperature for which National Park;

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