PROPOSED NEW PART 135 APPENDIX H

B. CERTIFICATE HOLDER EXPERIENCE PRIOR TO CONDUCTING ETOPS


Safety is enhanced when, prior to conducting ETOPS, a certificate holder gains operational experience in the type of airplane capable of ETOPS, and with the operational environment typically encountered on longer range flights (up to 180 minutes) in areas where airports available for an enroute diversion are limited. Typically, this involves prior operational experience on overwater flights to international areas of operation in accordance with part 135.Operators requesting authority to operate ETOPS would have to show operating experience on international routes with a transport category turbine powered airplane. For this particular case, experience with international operations does not include operations from the 48 contiguous States to Canada and Mexico. This experience can only be obtained on extended flight operations that involve oceanic crossings.

A minimum 12 months operating experience is required. The proposal allows for up to 6 months credit toward the 12-month requirement for those operators that were certificated under part 135 or part 121 prior to the effective date of this rule. Additionally, for operators with previous ETOPS experience with other airplane types may have that experience credited in whole, or in part to the 12 month experience requirement.