Easy Access Rules for Air Operations

ED Decision 2014/015/R

SUMMARY TABLE

Table 1

Flight and navigational instruments and associated equipment

Note (1) For single-pilot night operation under VFR, one means of measuring and displaying pressure altitude may be substituted by a means of measuring and displaying radio altitude.

Note (2) Applicable only to helicopters with a maximum certified take-off mass (MCTOM) of more than 3 175 kg; or helicopters operated over water when out of sight of land or when the visibility is less than 1 500 m.

Note (3) Applicable only to helicopters with an MCTOM of more than 3 175 kg, or with an MOPSC of more than 9.

Note (4) The pitot heater failure annunciation applies to any helicopter issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 August 1999. It also applies before that date when: the helicopter has a MCTOM of more than 3 175 kg and an MOPSC of more than 9.

Note (5) For helicopters with an MCTOM of more than 3 175 kg, CS 29.1303(g) may require either a gyroscopic rate-of-turn indicator combined with a slip-skid indicator (turn and bank indicator) or a standby attitude indicator satisfying the requirements. In any case, the original type certification standard should be referred to determine the exact requirement.

Note (6) Applicable only to helicopters operating under IFR.

Regulation (EU) 2019/1384

Helicopters operated under VFR at night or under IFR shall be equipped with the following equipment, available at the pilot’s station:

(a)A means of measuring and displaying:

(1)Magnetic heading;

(2)Time in hours, minutes and seconds;

(3)Indicated airspeed;

(4)Vertical speed;

(5)Slip;

(6)Attitude;

(7)Stabilised heading; and

(8)Outside air temperature.

(b)Two means of measuring and displaying barometric altitude. For single-pilot operations under VFR at night one pressure altimeter may be substituted by a radio altimeter.

(c)A means of indicating when the supply of power to the required flight instruments is not adequate.

(d)A means of preventing malfunction of the airspeed indicating systems required in (a)(3) and (h)(2) due to either condensation or icing.

(e)A means of annunciating to the flight crew the failure of the means required in (d) for helicopters:

(1)issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 August 1999; or

(2)issued with an individual CofA before 1 August 1999 with an MCTOM of more than 3 175 kg, and with an MOPSC of more than nine.

(f)A standby means of measuring and displaying attitude that:

(1)is powered continuously during normal operation and, in the event of a total failure of the normal electrical generating system, is powered from a source independent of the normal electrical generating system;

(2)operates independently of any other means of measuring and displaying attitude;

(3)is capable of being used from either pilot’s station;

(4)is operative automatically after total failure of the normal electrical generating system;

(5)provides reliable operation for a minimum of 30 minutes or the time required to fly to a suitable alternate landing site when operating over hostile terrain or offshore, whichever is greater, after total failure of the normal electrical generating system, taking into account other loads on the emergency power supply and operational procedures;

(6)is appropriately illuminated during all phases of operation; and

(7)is associated with a means to alert the flight crew when operating under its dedicated power supply, including when operated by emergency power.

(g)An alternate source of static pressure for the means of measuring altitude, airspeed and vertical speed.

(h)Whenever two pilots are required for the operation, a separate means for displaying for the second pilot:

(1)Barometric altitude;

(2)Indicated airspeed;

(3)Vertical speed;

(4)Slip;

(5)Attitude; and

(6)Stabilised heading.

(i)For IFR operations, a chart holder in an easily readable position that can be illuminated for night operations.

ED Decision 2017/008/R

ALTIMETERS

Altimeters with counter drum-pointer or equivalent presentation are considered to be less susceptible to misinterpretation for helicopters operating above 10 000 ft.

ED Decision 2014/015/R

MEANS OF INDICATING FAILURE OF THE AIRSPEED INDICATING SYSTEM’S MEANS OF PREVENTING MALFUNCTION DUE TO EITHER CONDENSATION OR ICING

A combined means of indicating failure of the airspeed indicating system’s means of preventing malfunction due to either condensation or icing is acceptable provided that it is visible from each flight crew station and that there it is a means to identify the failed heater in systems with two or more sensors.

ED Decision 2014/015/R

ILLUMINATION OF STANDBY MEANS OF MEASURING AND DISPLAYING ATTITUDE

The standby means of measuring and displaying attitude should be illuminated so as to be clearly visible under all conditions of daylight and artificial lighting.

ED Decision 2022/012/R

MULTI-PILOT OPERATIONS

Two pilots are required for the operation if required by the one of the following:

(a)the AFM;

(b)the operations manual.

ED Decision 2014/015/R

CHART HOLDER

An acceptable means of compliance with the chart holder requirement is to display a pre-composed chart on an electronic flight bag (EFB).

ED Decision 2014/015/R

SUMMARY TABLE

Table 1

Flight and navigational instruments and associated equipment

Note (1) For single-pilot night operation under VFR, one means of measuring and displaying pressure altitude may be substituted by a means of measuring and displaying radio altitude.

Note (2) Applicable only to helicopters with a maximum certified take-off mass (MCTOM) of more than 3 175 kg; or helicopters operated over water when out of sight of land or when the visibility is less than 1 500 m.

Note (3) Applicable only to helicopters with an MCTOM of more than 3 175 kg, or with an MOPSC of more than 9.

Note (4) The pitot heater failure annunciation applies to any helicopter issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 August 1999. It also applies before that date when: the helicopter has a MCTOM of more than 3 175 kg and an MOPSC of more than 9.

Note (5) For helicopters with an MCTOM of more than 3 175 kg, CS 29.1303(g) may require either a gyroscopic rate-of-turn indicator combined with a slip-skid indicator (turn and bank indicator) or a standby attitude indicator satisfying the requirements. In any case, the original type certification standard should be referred to determine the exact requirement.

Note (6) Applicable only to helicopters operating under IFR.

Regulation (EU) No 965/2012

Helicopters operated under IFR with a single-pilot shall be equipped with an autopilot with at least altitude hold and heading mode.

Regulation (EU) No 965/2012

(a)Helicopters on flights over water shall be equipped with a radio altimeter capable of emitting an audio warning below a pre-set height and a visual warning at a height selectable by the pilot, when operating:

(1)out of sight of the land;

(2)in a visibility of less than 1 500 m;

(3)at night; or

(4)at a distance from land corresponding to more than three minutes at normal cruising speed.

ED Decision 2016/022/R

AUDIO WARNING DEVICE

(a)The audio warning should be a voice warning.

(b)The audio warning may be provided by a helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (HTAWS).

ED Decision 2016/022/R

RADIO ALTIMETER DISPLAY

The radio altimeter should be of an analogue type display presentation that requires minimal interpretation for both an instantaneous impression of absolute height and rate of change of height.

ED Decision 2016/022/R

AUDIO-VOICE-ALERTING DEVICE

(a)To be effective, the voice warning alert should be distinguishable from other warnings and should contain a clear and concise voice message.

(b)The warning format should meet the following conditions:

(1)the warning should be unique (i.e. voice);

(2)it should not be inhibited by any other audio warnings, except by higher priority alerts such as helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (HTAWS); and

(3)the urgency of the warning should be adequate to draw attention but not such as to cause undue annoyance during deliberate descents through the datum height.

(c)The criteria above can be satisfactorily met if the warning format incorporates all of the following features:

(1)a unique tone should precede the voice message; a further tone after the voice may enhance uniqueness and attract more attention without causing undue annoyance;

(2)the perceived tone and voice should be moderately urgent;

(3)the message should be compact as opposed to lengthy provided that the meaning is not compromised, e.g. ‘One fifty feet’ as opposed to ‘One hundred and fifty feet’;

(4)an information message is preferable (e.g. ‘One hundred feet’); messages such as ‘Low height’ do not convey the correct impression during deliberate descents through the datum height;

(5)command messages (e.g. ‘Pull up, pull up’) should not be used unless they relate specifically to height monitoring (e.g. ‘Check height’); and

(6)the volume of the warning should be adequate and not variable below an acceptable minimum value.

(d)Every effort should be made to prevent spurious warnings.

(e)The height at which the audio warning is triggered by the radio altimeter should be such as to provide adequate warning for the pilot to take corrective action. It is envisaged that most installations will adopt a height in the range of 100–160 ft. The datum should not be adjustable in flight.

(f)The preset datum height should not be set in a way that it coincides with commonly used instrument approach minima (i.e. 200 ft). Once triggered, the message should sound within 0.5 sec.

(g)The voice warning should be triggered only whilst descending through the preset datum height and be inhibited whilst ascending.

ED Decision 2016/022/R

RADIO ALTIMETER DISPLAY

An analogue type display presentation may be, for example, a representation of a dial, ribbon or bar, but not a display that provides numbers only. An analogue type display may be embedded into an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS).

Regulation (EU) No 965/2012

Helicopters with an MOPSC of more than nine and operated under IFR or at night shall be equipped with airborne weather detecting equipment when current weather reports indicate that thunderstorms or other potentially hazardous weather conditions, regarded as detectable with airborne weather detecting equipment, may be expected to exist along the route to be flown.

ED Decision 2014/015/R

GENERAL

The airborne weather detecting equipment should be an airborne weather radar.

Regulation (EU) No 965/2012

(a)Helicopters operated in expected or actual icing conditions at night shall be equipped with a means to illuminate or detect the formation of ice.

(b)The means to illuminate the formation of ice shall not cause glare or reflection that would handicap crew members in the performance of their duties.

Regulation (EU) No 965/2012

Helicopters operated by more than one flight crew member shall be equipped with a flight crew interphone system, including headsets and microphones for use by all flight crew members.

ED Decision 2014/015/R

TYPE OF FLIGHT CREW INTERPHONE

The flight crew interphone system should not be of a handheld type.

Regulation (EU) No 965/2012

Helicopters shall be equipped with a crew member interphone system when carrying a crew member other than a flight crew member.

ED Decision 2014/015/R

SPECIFICATIONS

The crew member interphone system should:

(a)operate independently of the public address system except for handsets, headsets, microphones, selector switches and signalling devices;

(b)in the case of helicopters where at least one cabin crew member is required, be readily accessible for use at required cabin crew stations close to each separate or pair of floor level emergency exits;

(c)in the case of helicopters where at least one cabin crew member is required, have an alerting system incorporating aural or visual signals for use by flight and cabin crew;

(d)have a means for the recipient of a call to determine whether it is a normal call or an emergency call that uses one or a combination of the following:

(1)lights of different colours;

(2)codes defined by the operator (e.g. different number of rings for normal and emergency calls); or

(3)any other indicating signal specified in the operations manual;

(e)provide a means of two-way communication between the flight crew compartment and each crew member station; and

(f)be readily accessible for use from each required flight crew station in the flight crew compartment.

Regulation (EU) No 965/2012

(a)Helicopters with an MOPSC of more than nine shall be equipped with a public address system, with the exception of (b).

(b)Notwithstanding (a) helicopters with an MOPSC of more than nine and less than 20 are exempted from having a public address system, if:

(1)the helicopter is designed without a bulkhead between pilot and passengers; and

(2)the operator is able to demonstrate that when in flight, the pilot’s voice is audible and intelligible at all passengers’ seats.

ED Decision 2014/015/R

SPECIFICATIONS

The public address system should:

(a)operate independently of the interphone systems except for handsets, headsets, microphones, selector switches and signalling devices;

(b)be readily accessible for immediate use from each required flight crew station;

(c)have, for each floor level passenger emergency exit that has an adjacent cabin crew seat, a microphone operable by the seated cabin crew member, except that one microphone may serve more than one exit, provided the proximity of exits allows unassisted verbal communication between seated cabin crew members;

(d)be operable within ten seconds by a cabin crew member at each of those stations;

(e)be audible at all passenger seats, lavatories, cabin crew seats and work stations and any other location or compartment that may be occupied by persons; and

(f)following a total failure of the normal electrical generating system, provide reliable operation for a minimum of ten minutes.

Regulation (EU) 2015/2338

(a)The following helicopter types shall be equipped with a cockpit voice recorder (CVR):

(1)all helicopters with an MCTOM of more than 7 000 kg; and

(2)helicopters with an MCTOM of more than 3 175 kg and first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 January 1987.

(b)The CVR shall be capable of retaining the data recorded during at least:

(1)the preceding two hours for helicopters referred to in (a)(1) and (a)(2), when first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 January 2016;

(2)the preceding one hour for helicopters referred to in (a)(1), when first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 August 1999 and before 1 January 2016;

(3)the preceding 30 minutes for helicopters referred to in (a)(1), when first issued with an individual CofA before 1 August 1999; or

(4)the preceding 30 minutes for helicopters referred to in (a)(2), when first issued with an individual CofA before 1 January 2016.

(c)By 1 January 2019 at the latest, the CVR shall record on means other than magnetic tape or magnetic wire.

(d)The CVR shall record with reference to a timescale:

(1)voice communications transmitted from or received in the flight crew compartment by radio;

(2)flight crew members' voice communications using the interphone system and the public address system, if installed;

(3)the aural environment of the flight crew compartment, including without interruption:

(i)for helicopters first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 August 1999, the audio signals received from each crew microphone;

(ii)for helicopters first issued with an individual CofA before 1 August 1999, the audio signals received from each crew microphone, where practicable;

(4)voice or audio signals identifying navigation or approach aids introduced into a headset or speaker.

(e)The CVR shall start to record prior to the helicopter moving under its own power and shall continue to record until the termination of the flight when the helicopter is no longer capable of moving under its own power.

(f)In addition to (e), for helicopters referred to in (a)(2) issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 August 1999:

(1)the CVR shall start automatically to record prior to the helicopter moving under its own power and continue to record until the termination of the flight when the helicopter is no longer capable of moving under its own power; and

(2)depending on the availability of electrical power, the CVR shall start to record as early as possible during the cockpit checks prior to engine start at the beginning of the flight until the cockpit checks immediately following engine shutdown at the end of the flight.

(g)If the CVR is not deployable, it shall have a device to assist in locating it under water. By 1 January 2020 at the latest, this device shall have a minimum underwater transmission time of 90 days. If the CVR is deployable, it shall have an automatic emergency locator transmitter.

ED Decision 2015/021/R

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

(a)For helicopters first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 January 2016, the operational performance requirements for cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) should be those laid down in EUROCAE Document ED-112 Minimum Operational Performance Specification for Crash Protected Airborne Recorder Systems dated March 2003, including Amendments No 1 and No 2, or any later equivalent standard produced by EUROCAE; and

(b)the operational performance requirements for equipment dedicated to the CVR should be those laid down in the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) Document ED-56A (Minimum Operational Performance Requirements For Cockpit Voice Recorder Systems) dated December 1993, or EUROCAE Document ED-112 (Minimum Operational Performance Specification for Crash Protected Airborne Recorder Systems) dated March 2003, including Amendments No°1 and No°2, or any later equivalent standard produced by EUROCAE.

Regulation (EU) 2015/2338

(a)The following helicopters shall be equipped with an FDR that uses a digital method of recording and storing data and for which a method of readily retrieving that data from the storage medium is available:

(1)helicopters with an MCTOM of more than 3 175 kg and first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 August 1999;

(2)helicopters with an MCTOM of more than 7 000 kg, or an MOPSC of more than nine, and first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 January 1989 but before 1 August 1999.

(b)The FDR shall record the parameters required to determine accurately the:

(1)flight path, speed, attitude, engine power, operation and configuration and be capable of retaining the data recorded during at least the preceding 10 hours, for helicopters referred to in (a)(1) and first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 January 2016;

(2)flight path, speed, attitude, engine power and operation and be capable of retaining the data recorded during at least the preceding eight hours, for helicopters referred to in (a)(1) and first issued with an individual CofA before 1 January 2016;

(3)flight path, speed, attitude, engine power and operation and be capable of retaining the data recorded during at least the preceding five hours, for helicopters referred to in (a)(2).

(c)Data shall be obtained from helicopter sources that enable accurate correlation with information displayed to the flight crew.

(d)The FDR shall automatically start to record the data prior to the helicopter being capable of moving under its own power and shall stop automatically after the helicopter is incapable of moving under its own power.

(e)If the FDR is not deployable, it shall have a device to assist in locating it under water. By 1 January 2020 at the latest, this device shall have a minimum underwater transmission time of 90 days. If the FDR is deployable, it shall have an automatic emergency locator transmitter.

ED Decision 2016/012/R

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR HELICOPTERS HAVING AN MCTOM OF MORE THAN 3 175 KG AND FIRST ISSUED WITH AN INDIVIDUAL CofA ON OR AFTER 1 JANUARY 2016 AND BEFORE 1 JANUARY 2023

(a)The operational performance requirements for flight data recorders (FDRs) should be those laid down in EUROCAE Document ED-112 (Minimum Operational Performance Specification for Crash Protected Airborne Recorder Systems) dated March 2003, including amendments No 1 and No 2, or any later equivalent standard produced by EUROCAE.

(b)The FDR should, with reference to a timescale, record:

(1)the parameters listed in Table 1 below;

(2)the additional parameters listed in Table 2 below, when the information data source for the parameter is used by helicopter systems or is available on the instrument panel for use by the flight crew to operate the helicopter; and

(3)any dedicated parameters related to novel or unique design or operational characteristics of the helicopter as determined by the Agency.

(c)The FDR parameters should meet, as far as practicable, the performance specifications (range, sampling intervals, accuracy limits and minimum resolution in read-out) defined in the operational performance requirements and specifications of EUROCAE Document 112, including amendments No 1 and No 2, or any later equivalent standard produced by EUROCAE.

(d)FDR systems for which some recorded parameters do not meet the performance specifications of EUROCAE Document ED-112 may be acceptable to the Agency.

Table 1

FDR — all helicopters

* The number in the left hand column reflects the serial numbers depicted in EUROCAE Document ED-112

Table 2

Helicopters for which the data source for the parameter is either used by helicopter systems or is available on the instrument panel for use by the flight crew to operate the helicopter

* The number in the left hand column reflects the serial numbers depicted in EUROCAE Document ED-112