The Federation Aviation Administration (FAA), under section 409 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act 2012, prepared an operation report for the Pilot Training Certificate. The operation report mandated the study of operators regulated under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations ( 14 CFR ) part 135. The requirement further stated that the survey would be conducted in consultation with interested parties. Section 409 advances the study of various Part 135 aspects, which involve the type and size of the aircraft, the equipment, usage, and hours flown; safety data and revenue sales, the count of passengers and airports served.
What is Part 135?
A standard part 135 operator holds a certificate and doesn’t have pre-fixed limits on their operations’ available scope or size. To conduct any process, the applicant must apply, qualify, and obtain FAA authorization through OpSpecs.
Part 135 Operators are companies offering services under 14 CFR part 134, including on-demand, scheduled, and all cargo operations.
Types of 135 Operations Under 14 CFR
Based on what type of services the applicant will provide and the place to conduct operations, there are two basic certification types:
- Air Carrier Certificate – It is issued to an applicant to conduct foreign, interstate, or overseas transportation or for carrying mail.
- Operating Certificate – It is issued to an applicant to conduct an operation within the same state of the US.
Kinds Of 135 Certificate Operating Authorities Under 14 CFR
- On-Demand – Operations can be performed in airplanes with 30 seats or less, a maximum capacity of 7500 pounds, or in any rotorcraft. Some limited scheduled operations with restrictions are:
- No use of turbo-jet airplanes
- Airplanes’ maximum seating capacity is nine or less
- No more than five round trips every week on a minimum of one route between two or more points per published flight schedule.
- Commuter – Such operations are operated in airplanes having a maximum seating of 9 and a capacity of 7,500 pounds, or in any rotorcraft—no use of turbo-jet aircraft. A commuter authority certificate holder can operate on-demand operations.
Scope of Part 135 Certificates
Depending on the scope of the operation a 135 certificate holder wants to conduct, the FAA authorizes further options through Operations Specifications, which are :
- Standard Part 135 – A Standard Part 135 operator holds a certificate and doesn’t have pre-fixed limits on their operations’ available scope or size.
- 135 Single Pilot – a certificate holder operator is limited to using a single pilot throughout all 135 operations.
- 135 Single Pilot In Command (PIC)- A certificate holder operator is restricted to only one PIC and a maximum of 3 Second In Command (SIC) pilots for all part 135 operations. There are some limitations on the allowed scope of operation and the size of the aircraft:
- Aircraft with nine or fewer passenger seats.
- Operational territories are Canada, the US, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
- Category II or Category III instrument approach operations are not allowed.
- 135 Basic – A certificate holder operator is restricted to the operation scope and size under the following limitations:
- Maximum five pilots, including SICs,
- Maximum 5 aircraft for operational use,
- Maximum 3 different aircraft to use,
- Aircraft with nine or fewer passenger seats,
- Operational territories are Canada, Mexico, the US, and the Caribbean.
- Category II or Category III instrument approaches are not allowed.
Conclusion
Please visit the FAA’s official website for more information on part 135 certificates.
