Regulation Text
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, no person may operate the following airplanes without a pilot designated as second in command:
(1) Any airplane that is type certificated for more than one required pilot.
(2) Any large airplane.
(3) Any commuter category airplane.
(b) A person may operate the following airplanes without a pilot designated as second in command:
(1) Any airplane certificated for operation with one pilot.
(2) A large airplane or turbojet-powered multiengine airplane that holds a special airworthiness certificate, if:
(i) The airplane was originally designed with only one pilot station; or
(ii) The airplane was originally designed with more than one pilot station, but single pilot operations were permitted by the airplane flight manual or were otherwise permitted by a branch of the United States Armed Forces or the armed forces of a foreign contracting State to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
(c) No person may designate a pilot to serve as second in command, nor may any pilot serve as second in command, of an airplane required under this section to have two pilots unless that pilot meets the qualifications for second in command prescribed in § 61.55 of this chapter.
[Docket FAA-2016-6142, Amdt. 91-351, 83 FR 30282, June 27, 2018]
Research Notes
Section 91.531 — Second in command requirements — requires a second pilot on certain large airplanes operated under Subpart F.
The two-pilot requirement: Required for: large airplanes operated under IFR, large turbojet aircraft regardless of weather, and aircraft type certificated for two pilots.
The SIC certification: The SIC must hold an appropriate pilot certificate with the necessary ratings for the aircraft. For type-rated aircraft, the SIC may hold an SIC privileges-only type rating per § 61.55.
Reference: § 61.55 on SIC qualifications; FAA Order 8900.1 Volume 5.
Amendment History
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