overwater raft requirements, part 135

[flybynightly]

OK, a question for the experts on the board concerning inflatable raft requirements. I am familiar with what the FAR's say about raft requirements for 135 flights over water. But my question is this: What about when I start heading into the different foreign airspaces as I head down the island thread. Are the ICAO regs different, I seem to recall reading something about a 40% overage rule. I looked at our raft today and it said 8 persons or 12 if overloaded...why? Please help. Also are any of you doing flights down the atlantic routes where RSVM is in effect at FL410 to get over it?

 

[cj610]

Atlantic RVSM

I can't help you on the raft question. I just wanted to comment on the RVSM one though. The outfit I fly for does air ambo flights out to Bermuda using Lear 25's. This RVSM is hampering our operations. To go out there we are going to have to fly higher than FL410 to stay out of the RVSM. We can't go out below the RVSM because then we will not have the required fuel for an alternate. This RVSM thing is going to screw alot of operators. I guess conversly it will help the operators w/ the newer up to date equipment.

 

[ShawnC]

I can't tell you about the rafts, but one must comply with the most restrictive regs that the aircraft would fly into. Which in most cases is the US FARs. The international regs maybe lighter but in the end if its a US reged aircraft it has to return to the states, and needs to comply with the US regs for the 12 miles that it flies over water in US airspace.

Thats just something that I was told about illegal fishing offshore. It maybe legal to do it offshore, but you still need to get it into the USA or its worthless.

 

[justApilot]

I think the overload answer goes something like this. Say you have 12 pax on your plane. You are going to need 2--8 man rafts, in case one does not inflate your overload capacity of 12 makes you legal for the amount of passengers you are carrying. Call the company that services your rafts, they will give you the skinny on it.

 

[Fr8DoggyStyle]

I thought the size of raft depends on the # of seats not the # of pax. A friend of mine had a navaho he used to go to the bahamas with and he needed a big raft even tho there were only 2 souls on board.