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Civil Aviation Act, 2009 (Act No. 13 of 2009)

Regulations

Civil Aviation Regulations, 2011

Part 127 : Commercial Helicopter Operations: Passengers Cargo and Mail

Subpart 7 : Flight Operations

Division One : General

127.07.8 Offshore operations

 

(1) The operator shall ensure that, in the case of flights over water,—
(a) the shore base or other flight-monitoring station shall maintain a means of flight monitoring with the helicopter as approved by the Director;
(b) a full complement of crew members to operate the helicopter and its safety equipment under normal, abnormal or emergency conditions is carried on board; and
(c) the helicopter is equipped for flights over water in terms of these Regulations.

 

(2) The operator shall ensure that, in the case of a single-reciprocating-engine helicopter,—
(a) other than an amphibian helicopter or a helicopter with approved flotation gear flights shall be limited to five nautical miles seaward from base; and
(b) no flights shall be undertaken except by day and under visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and no flight shall be commenced which cannot be completed at least one hour before night.

 

(3) The operator shall ensure that, in the case of a single-turbine-engine helicopter,—
(a) other than an amphibian helicopter or a helicopter with approved flotation gear flights shall be limited to 50 nautical miles seaward from base;
(b) no flights shall be undertaken except by day and under VMC;
(c) for flights over water from 5 up to 15 nautical miles, sufficient survival dinghies are carried in such a manner that they will be instantly accessible at the time of ditching; and

 

(4) The operator shall ensure that, in the case of multi-engine helicopters, the provisions of subregulation (1) are complied with and, in addition, if a flight is to be undertaken by night or under IMC, that—
(a) the helicopter is equipped for IFR operations; and
(b) functioning area or on-board navigation aids are available.

 

(5) An air service operator shall not consider offshore landing alternatives when planning a flight over-water, if it is possible to carry sufficient fuel for an alternate landing on-shore, unless—
(a) exceptional circumstances exist;
(b) payload enhancements exist in adverse weather conditions; and
(c) the on-shore environment is hostile.

[Regulation 127.07.8(5) substituted by regulation 17(d) of Notice No. R. 3170, GG48228, dated 17 March 2023 (Twenty-Sixth Amendment of the Civil Aviation Regulations, 2023)]

 

(6) For the purposes of this regulation "shore base" means the site from which the flight over water is commenced or supported.