547 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 137.17 

(b) In a public emergency, a person 

conducting agricultural aircraft oper-
ations under this part may, to the ex-
tent necessary, deviate from the oper-
ating rules of this part for relief and 
welfare activities approved by an agen-
cy of the United States or of a State or 
local government. 

(c) Each person who, under the au-

thority of this section, deviates from a 
rule of this part shall, within 10 days 
after the deviation send to the respon-
sible Flight Standards office a com-
plete report of the aircraft operation 
involved, including a description of the 
operation and the reasons for it. 

[Doc. No. 1464, 30 FR 8106, June 24, 1965, as 
amended by Amdt. 137–13, 54 FR 39294, Sept. 
25, 1989; Docket FAA–2018–0119, Amdt. 137–17, 
83 FR 9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 137.3

Definition of terms. 

For the purposes of this part— 

Agricultural aircraft operation 

means 

the operation of an aircraft for the pur-
pose of (1) dispensing any economic 
poison, (2) dispensing any other sub-
stance intended for plant nourishment, 
soil treatment, propagation of plant 
life, or pest control, or (3) engaging in 
dispensing activities directly affecting 
agriculture, horticulture, or forest 
preservation, but not including the dis-
pensing of live insects. 

Economic poison 

means (1) any sub-

stance or mixture of substances in-
tended for preventing, destroying, re-
pelling, or mitigating any insects, ro-
dents, nematodes, fungi, weeds, and 
other forms of plant or animal life or 
viruses, except viruses on or in living 
man or other animals, which the Sec-
retary of Agriculture shall declare to 
be a pest, and (2) any substance or mix-
ture of substances intended for use as a 
plant regulator, defoliant or desiccant. 

[Doc. No. 1464, 30 FR 8106, June 24, 1965, as 
amended by Amdt. 137–3, 33 FR 9601, July 2, 
1968] 

Subpart B—Certification Rules 

§ 137.11

Certificate required. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs 

(c) and (d) of this section, no person 
may conduct agricultural aircraft op-
erations without, or in violation of, an 

agricultural aircraft operator certifi-
cate issued under this part. 

(b) Notwithstanding part 133 of this 

chapter, an operator may, if he com-
plies with this part, conduct agricul-
tural aircraft operations with a rotor-
craft with external dispensing equip-
ment in place without a rotorcraft ex-
ternal-load operator certificate. 

(c) A Federal, State, or local govern-

ment conducting agricultural aircraft 
operations with public aircraft need 
not comply with this subpart. 

(d) The holder of a rotorcraft exter-

nal-load operator certificate under part 
133 of this chapter conducting an agri-
cultural aircraft operation, involving 
only the dispensing of water on forest 
fires by rotorcraft external-load means, 
need not comply with this subpart. 

[Doc. No. 1464, 30 FR 8106, June 24, 1965, as 
amended by Amdt. 137–3, 33 FR 9601, July 2, 
1968; Amdt. 137–6, 41 FR 35060, Aug. 19, 1976] 

§ 137.15

Application for certificate. 

An application for an agricultural 

aircraft operator certificate is made on 
a form and in a manner prescribed by 
the Administrator, and filed with the 
responsible Flight Standards office for 
the area in which the applicant’s home 
base of operations is located. 

[Doc. No. 1464, 30 FR 8106, June 24, 1965, as 
amended by Amdt. 137–13, 54 FR 39294, Sept. 
25, 1989; Docket FAA–2018–0119, Amdt. 137–17, 
83 FR 9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 137.17

Amendment of certificate. 

(a) An agricultural aircraft operator 

certificate may be amended— 

(1) On the Administrator’s own ini-

tiative, under section 609 of the Federal 
Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1429) and 
part 13 of this chapter; or 

(2) Upon application by the holder of 

that certificate. 

(b) An application to amend an agri-

cultural aircraft operator certificate is 
submitted on a form and in a manner 
prescribed by the Administrator. The 
applicant must file the application 
with the responsible Flight Standards 
office for the area in which the appli-
cant’s home base of operations is lo-
cated at least 15 days before the date 
that it proposes the amendment be-
come effective, unless a shorter filing 
period is approved by that office. 

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