552 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–19 Edition) 

§ 137.53 

(1) Prior written approval must be 

obtained from the appropriate official 
or governing body of the political sub-
division over which the operations are 
conducted. 

(2) Notice of the intended operation 

must be given to the public by some ef-
fective means, such as daily news-
papers, radio, television, or door-to- 
door notice. 

(3) A plan for each complete oper-

ation must be submitted to, and ap-
proved by appropriate personnel of the 
responsible Flight Standards office for 
the area where the operation is to be 
conducted. The plan must include con-
sideration of obstructions to flight; the 
emergency landing capabilities of the 
aircraft to be used; and any necessary 
coordination with air traffic control. 

(4) Single engine aircraft must be op-

erated as follows: 

(i) Except for helicopters, no person 

may take off a loaded aircraft, or make 
a turnaround over a congested area. 

(ii) No person may operate an air-

craft over a congested area below the 
altitudes prescribed in part 91 of this 
chapter except during the actual dis-
pensing operation, including the ap-
proaches and departures necessary for 
that operation. 

(iii) No person may operate an air-

craft over a congested area during the 
actual dispensing operation, including 
the approaches and departures for that 
operation, unless it is operated in a 
pattern and at such an altitude that 
the aircraft can land, in an emergency, 
without endangering persons or prop-
erty on the surface. 

(5) Multiengine aircraft must be op-

erated as follows: 

(i) No person may take off a multien-

gine airplane over a congested area ex-
cept under conditions that will allow 
the airplane to be brought to a safe 
stop within the effective length of the 
runway from any point on takeoff up 
to the time of attaining, with all en-
gines operating at normal takeoff 
power, 105 percent of the minimum 
control speed with the critical engine 
inoperative in the takeoff configura-
tion or 115 percent of the power-off 
stall speed in the takeoff configura-
tion, whichever is greater, as shown by 
the accelerate stop distance data. In 
applying this requirement, takeoff data 

is based upon still-air conditions, and 
no correction is made for any uphill 
gradient of 1 percent or less when the 
percentage is measured as the dif-
ference between elevation at the end 
points of the runway divided by the 
total length. For uphill gradients 
greater than 1 percent, the effective 
takeoff length of the runway is reduced 
20 percent for each 1-percent grade. 

(ii) No person may operate a multien-

gine airplane at a weight greater than 
the weight that, with the critical en-
gine inoperative, would permit a rate 
of climb of at least 50 feet per minute 
at an altitude of at least 1,000 feet 
above the elevation of the highest 
ground or obstruction within the area 
to be worked or at an altitude of 5,000 
feet, whichever is higher. For the pur-
poses of this subdivision, it is assumed 
that the propeller of the inoperative 
engine is in the minimum drag posi-
tion; that the wing flaps and landing 
gear are in the most favorable posi-
tions; and that the remaining engine or 
engines are operating at the maximum 
continuous power available. 

(iii) No person may operate any mul-

tiengine aircraft over a congested area 
below the altitudes prescribed in part 
91 of this chapter except during the ac-
tual dispensing operation, including 
the approaches, departures, and turn-
arounds necessary for that operation. 

[Doc. No. 1464, 30 FR 8106, June 24, 1965, as 
amended by Doc. No. 8084, 32 FR 5769, Apr. 11, 
1967; Amdt. 137–13, 54 FR 39294, Sept. 25, 1989; 
Docket FAA–2018–0119, Amdt. 137–17, 83 FR 
9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 137.53

Operation over congested 

areas: Pilots and aircraft. 

(a) 

General. 

No person may operate 

an aircraft over a congested area ex-
cept in accordance with the pilot and 
aircraft rules of this section. 

(b) 

Pilots. 

Each pilot in command 

must have at least— 

(1) 25 hours of pilot-in-command 

flight time in the make and basic 
model of the aircraft, at least 10 hours 
of which must have been acquired with-
in the preceding 12 calendar months; 
and 

(2) 100 hours of flight experience as 

pilot in command in dispensing agri-
cultural materials or chemicals. 

VerDate Sep<11>2014 

08:20 May 17, 2019

Jkt 247048

PO 00000

Frm 00562

Fmt 8010

Sfmt 8010

Y:\SGML\247048.XXX

247048