Site-seeing flights

[phlyer]

I work in the office of a flight school and we were recently told by the FSDO that we cannot conduct site-seeing flights unless we begin to drug test our pilots. Does anyone know of the reg that states this or have you heard of this before?I have never heard anything like this and am very confused.

 

[cvsfly]

Its under Part 121 Appendix J. It does apply. You are a commercial operator carrying passengers (general public) for hire. You must be on a drug program. Many operators like yours have assumed that anything that reads of regulations other than 61 and 91, they don't have to pay attention to. The exculsion for sight seeing operators that remaining within 25 nm with aircraft of 30 seats/7500 lbs payload and under and not to have to operate under 135 is in 119.1, but that doesn't exclude them from other requirements such as the drug program. The rules should be clearer and the drug program requirement probably should be addressed somewhere (like 119) in addition to 121.

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

Phlyer,


You can circumvent this reg by operating photo flights instead of site-seeing flights. I know of a number of flight schools that do this. Just make certain the person paying for the flight has a camera with them. I don't believe this is a specific reg that states you can do this but I'm pretty sure there isn't a reg that says you can't!


Mr. I.