Regulation Text
(a) No program manager may assign any flight crewmember, and no flight crewmember may accept an assignment, for flight time as a member of an augmented crew if that crewmember's total flight time in all commercial flying will exceed—
(1) 500 hours in any calendar quarter;
(2) 800 hours in any two consecutive calendar quarters;
(3) 1,400 hours in any calendar year.
(b) No program manager may assign any pilot to an augmented crew, unless the program manager ensures:
(1) Adequate sleeping facilities are installed on the aircraft for the pilots.
(2) No more than 8 hours of flight deck duty is accrued in any 24 consecutive hours.
(3) For a three-pilot crew, the crew must consist of at least the following:
(i) A pilot in command (PIC) who meets the applicable flight crewmember requirements of this subpart and § 61.57 of this chapter.
(ii) A PIC qualified pilot who meets the applicable flight crewmember requirements of this subpart and § 61.57(c) and (d) of this chapter.
(iii) A second in command (SIC) who meets the SIC qualifications of this subpart. For flight under IFR, that person must also meet the recent instrument experience requirements of part 61 of this chapter.
(4) For a four-pilot crew, at least three pilots who meet the conditions of paragraph (b)(3) of this section, plus a fourth pilot who meets the SIC qualifications of this subpart. For flight under IFR, that person must also meet the recent instrument experience requirements of part 61 of this chapter.
(c) No program manager may assign any flight crewmember, and no flight crewmember may accept an assignment, if that crewmember's flight time or duty period will exceed, or rest time will be less than—
3-Pilot crew 4-Pilot crew (1) Minimum Rest Immediately Before Duty 10 Hours 10 Hours (2) Duty Period Up to 16 Hours Up to 18 Hours (3) Flight Time Up to 12 Hours Up to 16 Hours (4) Minimum After Duty Rest 12 Hours 18 Hours (5) Minimum After Duty Rest Period for Multi-Time Zone Flights 18 hours 24 hoursResearch Notes
Section 91.1061 — Augmented flight crews — addresses augmented crew operations (3 or more pilots on extended flights).
Augmented crew scope: Used for ultra-long-range operations (transoceanic, transpolar) where flight times exceed standard two-pilot crew limits. The third (and sometimes fourth) pilot enables in-flight rest in dedicated crew rest seats/bunks.
Operational scope: Major fractional programs operating long-range jets (Global Express, Gulfstream G650/G700, Falcon 7X/8X) use augmented crews on transatlantic and transpacific flights.
Reference: Part 117 on Part 121 augmented crew rules; AC 120-100.
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