High altitude endorsement question

[FracCapt]

I was asked by a friend of mine who recently got hired flying as FO on a Citation 525 if I could give him a high altitude endorsement in the CJ. He also said I could log SIC time.

I would like to do this obviously, but I do not have a Citation type, ME or MEI, high altitude endorsement and never taught ground school in high altitude ops.

First of all...if your friend is not typed in the airplane, there's no way the two of you can be flying and you log SIC.

Second...you can't legally act as SIC in an airplane you are not rated in(you have no ME rating).

Third...if your friend is typed in the airplane, he doesn't need a high altitude endorsement. The type is sufficient, because that would have been required during his type training.

Fourth....if you don't have a high altitude endorsement...YOU CAN'T GIVE ONE!

I can't help but think this post is a troll...but, you never know. People will do all kinds of crazy things in order to get that almighty jet time.

 

[avbug]

My question, does this mean one could act as PIC of a pressurized plane as long as the service ceiling or maximum operating altitude was lower than 25,000? Am I reading this wrong? Are there planes that have lower than 25,000? Or is it all pressurized planes? Also, could someone explain the difference between service ceiling and maximum operating altitude? Thanks.

One is not required by regulation to have this endorsement in order to act as PIC of a pressurized aircraft that does not have a maximum operating altitude or service ceiling that is less than 25,000'. One is also not required to have this training or endorsement in order to act as PIC of an unpressurized airplane capable of flying above 25,000.

Certain of the pressurized Cessna Centurion had a service ceiling of 25,000, not above it. 14 CFR 61.31(g) requires the endorsement for those aircraft that are certified above 25,000.

14 CFR 23.1527 defines maximum operating altitude, for certification purposes:

§ 23.1527 Maximum operating altitude.

(a) The maximum altitude up to which operation is allowed, as limited by flight, structural, powerplant, functional or equipment characteristics, must be established.

(b) A maximum operating altitude limitation of not more than 25,000 feet must be established for pressurized airplanes unless compliance with § 23.775(e) is shown.

Service ceiling is that point at which the aircraft can no longer systain a rate of climb of 100 fpm, (except for multi engine airplanes where the single engine service ceiling is a 50 fpm rate of climb, and military aircraft which define combat ceiling as 500 fpm).

 

[igneousy2]

Many of the non-jet transports have service ceilings right at 25,000' because many certification requirements (aircraft type certifications) kick in at this altitude. Dash-8 and the Saab 340 are two that I know for sure have service ceilings at 25k.