b. Flight Limitations.
This section would include limitations with respect to airspeed, altitude, ambient temperatures, wind, slope, prohibited maneuvers, and any other flight limitations associated with a particular rotorcraft.
c. Weight Limitations.
This section would contain all gross weight, center of gravity (both longitudinal and lateral) limitations, and any other weight limitations unique to the rotorcraft (i.e., crew, passenger and/or cargo loadings).
d. Powerplant Limitations.
This section would include the temperature and pressure limits associated with powerplant operation (i.e., torque, RPM, TOT, etc.). This section would also include approved fuels and oils and their temperature and pressure limits. Any accessories attached to the powerplant (i.e., starters, generators, etc.), to which limitations in starting or operation are applicable, would be included herein.
e. Rotor Limitations.
This would include the power-on and power-off RPM limits, the effect of altitude on these parameters, and any other limitations associated with the rotor systems).
f. Drive System Limitations.
This section would include all limitations associated with the drive system (l.e., main transmission, any adapter gearboxes, tail rotor gearbox, and any other drive system component applicable to a particular rotorcraft).
g. System Limitations.
This section would include any particular system limitations unique to the rotorcraft (i.e., battery limitations, hydraulic system limitations) and any limitations associated with the various types of stability augmentation and/or automatic flight control systems.
h. Instrument Markings.
All instrument markings would appear in this section. The significance of each limitation and of the color coding would be explained in this paragraph.
i. Placards.
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The exact wording and general location of all placards would appear in this section.
Section 2 - Normal Procedures:
a. Preflight Checks.
This paragraph would include any exterior, interior, and any system checks prior to starting the engine(s).
b. Engine Start.
This paragraph would include any procedures associated with the engine start.
c. System Checks.
This paragraph would include any system check procedures such as hydraulic, stability augmentation, electrical, flight control, etc., which should be accomplished prior to takeoff.
d. Takeoff.
This paragraph would include any procedures associated with the takeoff and any procedures unique or applicable to the takeoff profile.
e. Cruise and/or Level Flight.
This paragraph would include any procedures applicable to cruise and/or level flight operation.
f. Approach and Landing.
This paragraph would include any procedures required or recommended for the approach and landing operation of the rotorcraft.
g. Engine/Rotor Shutdown.
This paragraph would include any procedures applicable to the engine and/or rotor shutdown and any procedures applicable upon completion of the rotorcraft operation.
h. Miscellaneous Procedures.
This section would include procedures for miscellaneous systems or conditions, such as bleed air heater, anti-ice systems, cold weather operations, etc.
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Section 3 - Emergency and Malfunction Procedures:
a. Introduction.
This paragraph would include any introductory type information (i.e., definitions of terms used and any other information the manufacturer deemed appropriate).
b. Powerplant Failures.
This paragraph would include any information relative to engine, fuel control, or any other powerplant related emergency or malfunction.
c. Drive System Failures.
This paragraph would include recommendations and procedures relative to any drive system failure and/or malfunction.
d. System Failures.
This paragraph would include procedures and recommendations relative to any system failure and/or malfunction (i.e., electrical, hydraulic, and augmented flight control systems).
e. Fire.
This paragraph would include procedures to be followed in the event that engine, cabin, baggage compartment fire or smoke is detected.
f. Emergency Egress.
This paragraph would include emergency evacuation procedures for both the flightcrew and the passengers.
Section 4 - Performance Data:
a. Power Assurance.
This section would include all information relative to the power assurance checks.
b. Hover Information.
This paragraph would include all information relative to hover performance (i.e., hover ceiling IGE and OGE for single and/or multiengine operation). Any relative wind effects may also be included.
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c. Height Velocity, Climbs, and Descents.
This paragraph would contain information relative to the HV curves, normal climbs, autorotation speeds, and any other data applicable to the particular rotorcraft.
d. Airspeed Calibration.
This paragraph would include the airspeed calibrations for the particular rotorcraft.
Section 5 - Optional Equipment Supplements:
This section would include all optional equipment supplements. These supplements may modify any of the limitations, procedures (both normal and emergency), and performance characteristics of the basic rotorcraft.
PART II, Manufacturer's Data (Not FAA/AUTHORITY Approved) Section 6 - Weight and Balance:
All supplemental weight and balance information such as crew tables, passenger tables, fuel and oil tables, cargo tables, and any other loading tables applicable to the particular rotorcraft would appear in this section.
Section 7 - Systems Description:
This section would include all information relative to the various rotorcraft systems that the manufacturer believes would apply to the particular rotorcraft.
Section 8 - Handling, Servicing, and Maintenance:
This section would include all information relative to the handling, servicing, and maintenance that the manufacturer would care to present. This section would also include dimensions (i.e., baggage areas, doors, and any internal, external information appropriate to the rotorcraft).
Section 9 - Supplemental Performance Information:
This section would include any supplemental performance information the manufacturer would wish to provide. This section would also contain the cruise-range information associated with IFR operation.
AC 27.1583. §27.1583 (Amendment 27-16) OPERATING LIMITATIONS.
a. Explanation. The purpose of this section is to present the limitations applicable to the rotorcraft type and model as established in the course of the type certification Page G - 40
process. The limitations should be presented with explanation when approved. To the maximum practicable extent, the limitations should be presented in "operations" language and format. Since operation of the rotorcraft in accordance with such limitations is required by the operating regulations, the following should be inserted as a note at the beginning of this section:iOperation in compliance with the limitations presented in this section is required by the Federal Aviation Regulations.
Section 27.1583 merely states that certain information must be given. The specific information is found during the showing of compliance with other paragraphs in the regulation.
b. Procedures.
(1) Section 27.1545 gives the markings required for the airspeed indicator.
(2) Rotor limits are established during compliance with § 27.33. The method of marking is specified in § 27.1549.
(3) Powerplant limits are discussed under § 27.1549.
(4) Weight limitations are specified in § 27.25. In the operating limitations section, there should be a statement of the maximum and minimum certificated takeoff
(5) Center of gravity limits are determined in accordance with § 27.27. Detailed center of gravity limitations information may either be presented in the limitations section of the flight manual or presented as a statement in limitations section which references charts or page numbers in the performance section. If landing gear position can measurably affect allowable CG, this information should be presented together with the moment change due to gear retraction.
(6) The minimum flightcrew is determined under § 27.1523 and is dependent upon the kinds of operation authorized. The established number and identity, by crew position of the minimum flightcrew, must be listed.
(7) Kinds of operations are established under § 27.1525. This section should contain the following preamble: "This rotorcraft is certified in the normal category (A and/or B) and is eligible for the following kinds of operation when the appropriate instruments and equipment required by the airworthiness and/or operating rules are installed and approved and are in operable condition. Those of the following, and any others that are applicable, should be listed.
(i) Day and night VFR.
(ii) Approved to operate in known icing conditions.
(iii) IER.
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(iv) Extended overwater operations (ditching).
(v) External load operation.
(8) Limiting heights and speeds are determined under § 27.79 and are presented in the form of a height versus velocity diagram in the performance information section.
(9) Often other limitations are included in the limitations section that are not specifically mentioned in the rules but which are necessary for safe operation.
Examples are:
(i) Altitude limits.
(ii) Ambient temperature limits.
(iii) Conditions for use of rotor brake.
(iv) Prohibitions against prolonged hover in cross or tail winds to prevent accumulation of noxious fumes in cockpit or cabin.
(v) Prohibitions against acrobatic maneuvers.
(vi) Required placards including text and location.
(vii) Special airworthiness equipment installations such as engine out or low rotor RPM warning systems.
AC 27.1585. § 27.1585 (Amendment 27-16) OPERATING PROCEDURES.
a. Explanation. The procedures sections of the manual should contain essential information peculiar to the particular type or model, the knowledge of which may be expected to enhance safety in the kinds of operations for which the type or model is approved. Information or procedures not directly related to airworthiness, or not under control of the crew, should not be included, nor should any procedure which is accepted as basic airmanship.
(1) Procedures information should be presented with respect to normal and emergency procedures. Alternatively, information outside the category of normal procedures may be subdivided into categories described as "abnormal" procedures and "emergency" procedures, as described herein.
(2) Notes, cautions, and warnings may be used to emphasize specific instructions or information in general accord with the following.
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(i) "Note" should be used with respect to matters not directly related to safety but which are particularly important (e.g., Note: For normal twin-engine operation, maximum permissible torque needle split is 4 percent total).
"Caution" should be used with respect to safety matters of a secondary order not immediately imminent (e.g., Caution: On engine restart reduce ITT to 750° C on the operating engine).
"Warning" should be used with respect to safety matters of a primary order or immediately imminent (e.g., Warning: Do not allow rotor RPM to drop below minimum limits).
(3) The operating procedures of this section have been developed with specific regard for the design features and operating characteristics of the rotorcraft and have been approved by FAA/AUTHORITY for guidance in identifying acceptable procedures for safe operation. Observance of these procedures is not mandatory, and FAA/AUTHORITY approval of such procedures is not intended to prohibit or discourage development and use of improved or equivalent alternate procedures based on operational experience with the rotorcraft. When alternate procedures are used, full responsibility for compliance with applicable airworthiness safety standards rests with the operator.
b. Procedures. Procedural information should be presented in substantial accord with the categories described below:
(1) Normal Procedures. Normal procedures are concerned with peculiarities of the rotorcraft design and operating features encountered in connection with routine operations, including malfunction cases not considered in the other procedures section
(i.e., not considered to degrade safety). Material conforming to the above should be presented for each phase of flight, following in sequence from preflight through engine shutdown, and should include, but not be limited to, systems operation (including fuel system information prescribed in § 27.1585(b)), missed approaches, balked landings,
(2) Emergency Procedures.
(i) Malfunction or abnormal procedures are included in many flight manuals to provide corrective crew actions that are not as urgent as those in the Emergency Procedures sections. These procedures are concerned with foreseeable situations, usually entailing a failure condition, in which the use of special systems, or the alternate use of regular systems, may be expected to maintain an acceptable level of safety. Typical examples of events considered to entail abnormal procedures are engine failure or conditions that require an engine shutdown (under flight conditions where the failure is not critical), stopping and restarting engines in flight, extending Page G - 43
AC 27-1B, Chg 2 4/25/06 landing gear or flaps by alternate means, approach in multiengine aircraft with inoperative engine(s), etc.
(її) Emergency procedures are concerned with foreseeable but unusual situations in which immediate and precise action by the crew, as detailed in the recommended procedures, may be expected to reduce substantially the risk of disaster.
Typical examples of incidents considered to be emergencies are fire, ditching, loss of tail rotor thrust or control, etc. It is expected that, in the case of tail rotor failure, the emergency procedures will have been validated by analysis, simulation, or any relevant service experience. The analysis or simulation of the tail rotor control failure procedures may be validated where practical by limited flight test.
(iii) Amendment 27-11 added ditching standards to Part 27. When ditching approval is requested, appropriate procedures and information will be included in the manual. Scale model tests are generally used to prove autorotation "ditching" characteristics and to prove stability in the water (capsize threshold) of the rotorcraft type design. Many rotorcraft designs require emergency float bags that deploy either before water contact or shortly after water contact to provide the flotation and stability necessary to comply with the requirements.
(A) Autorotation altitudes and airspeeds and water contact information, if appropriate, derived from or used during the ditching model tests, should be confirmed during FAA/AUTHORITY flight tests and should be included in the manual. Information concerning sea states or wave height to length ratios, investigated and found satisfactory, may be included in the manual if nonsevere sea states are likely to be exceeded.
(B) Instructions for deploying liferafts may be needed for certain designs.
For example, if liferafts are stowed outside the cabin, special instructions may be necessary.
(iv) Evacuation Procedures for Rotorcraft Litter Configurations.
Appropriate procedures and minimum crew requirements should be considered and included in the manual or manual supplement, if necessary, to assure timely evacuation.
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(3) The use of illustrations to show controls, instruments, explain systems, etc., is encouraged.
(4) If the unusable fuel supply in any tank exceeds 5 percent or 1 gallon, whichever is greater, a statement should appear in the normal procedures section to warn the pilot that the quantity of fuel remaining in the tank when the gauge reads zero is not usable in flight.
AC 27.1585A. § 27.1585 (Amendment 27-21) OPERATING PROCEDURES.
a. Explanation. Amendment 21 to the regulation adds the requirement to present the airspeeds and type of landing surface used in takeoff and landing tests.
Additionally, the airspeeds and rotorspeeds for minimum rate of descent and best glide in autorotation at maximum gross weight should be presented in the Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM).
b. Procedures. All of the policy material pertaining to this section remains in effect with the following additions:
Takeoff and landing procedures and speeds and the kind of surface used in takeoff and landing tests should be presented in the Normal Procedures section of the RFM.
(2) The airspeeds and rotor speeds corresponding to minimum rate of descent and maximum gliding distance in autorotation should be included in the Emergency Malfunction section of the RFM.
AC 27.1587. § 27.1587 (Amendment 27-21) PERFORMANCE INFORMATION.
[See new AC 27.1587A (dated 9/17/2009) posted as separate document in RGL with this Master AC.]
a. Explanation.
(1) This section contains the performance information necessary for operation R Part 27 and apreab in compliance with applicable performance requirements of FAR Part 27 and applicable special conditions together with additional information and data essential for implementing pertinent operational requirements.
(2) Performance information and data may be presented for the range of weight, altitude, temperature, and other operational variables stated as operational performance limitations. It is recommended that performance information and data be presented substantially in accordance with the following paragraphs. Where applicable, reference to the appropriate requirement of the certification or operating regulation should be included.
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(i) General. Include all descriptive information necessary to identify the configuration and conditions for which the performance data are applicable. Such information may include the complete model designations of rotorcraft and engines, definition of installed rotorcraft features, and equipment that affects performance together with the operative status thereof. This section should also include definitions or terms used in the performance section (i.e., IAS, CAS, ISA, configuration, etc.) plus calibration data for airspeed, altimeter, ambient air temperature, and other information of a general nature.
Performance Procedures. The procedures, techniques, and other conditions associated with obtainment of the flight manual performance should be included. The procedures may be presented as a performance subsection or in connection with a particular performance graph. In the latter case, a comprehensive listing of the conditions associated with the particular performance may serve the objective of "procedures" if sufficiently complete. Performance figures are based on the minimum installed specification engine.
(i) Wind Accountability. Wind accountability may be utilized for determining takeoff and landing field lengths. This accountability may be up to 100 percent of the minimum wind component along the takeoff or landing path opposite to the direction of takeoff. Wind accountability data presented in the RFM should be labeled "UNFACTORED" (if 100 percent accountability is taken) and should be accompanied by the following note: "Unless otherwise authorized by operating regulations, the pilot is not authorized to credit more than 50 percent of the performance increase resulting from the actual headwind component and must reduce performance by 150 percent of the performance decrement resulting from the actual tail wind component.i In some rotorcraft, it may be necessary to discount the beneficial aid to takeoff performance for winds from zero to 10 knots. This should be done if it is evident that the winds from zero to 10 knots have resulted in a significant degradation to the takeoff performance due to flight through the main rotor vortex. Degradation may be determined by determining the power required to fly, by reference to a pace vehicle, at speeds of 10 knots or less.
(iv) The following list is illustrative of the information that may be provided for a normal category rotorcraft.
(A) Density altitude chart for converting from pressure to density altitude.
(B) Airspeed calibration (calibrated vs. true indicated airspeed) for level flight.
(C) Hover performance charts both in and out-of-ground effect with instructions for their use. The out-of-ground effect hover performance chart is not required but may be useful.
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(D) For turbine-powered rotorcraft in all categories, a power assurance check chart.
(E) A statement of the maximum crosswind and downwind components that have been demonstrated as safe for operation near the ground.
(v) Miscellaneous Performance Data. Any performance information or data not covered in paragraphs AC 27.1587a(2) (iv)(A) through (E) above, but considered necessary or desirable to enhance safety or to enable application of the operating regulations, should be included.
(vi) Flightcrew Notes. It is recommended that provisions be made in the "unapproved" portion of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual for inclusion of information and data of a type that is useful or desirable for operation of the rotorcraft but is not approved by FAA/AUTHORITY. (Material in this section should be consistent with material in the approved portion of the manual.)
b. Procedures. None.
AC 27.1587A. § 27.1587 (Amendment 27-44) Performance Information.
a. Explanation. Amendment 27-44 added the requirement to include in the Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM), the weight at the maximum takeoff and landing altitude for which the rotorcraft can safely hover out-of-ground-effect (OGE) in winds of at least 17 knots in all azimuths. This change is in conjunction with the new demonstration requirements of § 27.143(d). Additionally, this change makes clear that the in-groundeffect (IGE) performance with winds of at least 17 knots be included in the RFM.
All the policy material pertaining to this section remains in effect with the following changes:
(1) This section contains the performance information necessary for operation in compliance with applicable performance requirements of part 27 and applicable special conditions together with additional information and data essential for implementing pertinent operational requirements.
(2) Information on limiting height/speed envelope must be given up to at least 7,000 feet as required in § 27.79. Giving information on limiting height/speed envelope at altitudes over 7,000 feet is desirable but not mandatory. For this information it is permissible to use a different extrapolation method, provided there is technical data to back it up.
(3) Performance information and data may be presented for the range of weight, altitude, temperature, and other operational variables stated as operational performance limitations. It is recommended that substantial performance information and data be presented per the following paragraphs. Where applicable, reference to Page G - 47
AC 27-1B, Chg 4 9/17/2009 the appropriate requirement of the certification or operating regulation should be included.
(1) General. Include all descriptive information necessary to identify the configuration and conditions for which the performance data are applicable. Such information may include the complete model designations of rotorcraft and engines, definition of installed rotorcraft features, and equipment that affects performance together with the operative status thereof. This section should also include definitions or terms used in the performance section (i.e., indicated airspeed (IAS), calibrated airspeed (CAS), international standard atmosphere (ISA), configuration, etc.) plus calibration data for airspeed, altimeter, ambient air temperature, and other information of a general nature.
(ii) Performance Procedures. The procedures, techniques, and other conditions associated with obtainment of the flight manual performance should be included. The procedures may be presented as a performance subsection or in connection with a particular performance graph. In the latter case, a comprehensive listing of the conditions associated with the particular performance may serve the objective of "procedures" if sufficiently complete. Performance figures are based on the minimum installed specification engine.
(iii) Wind Accountability. Wind accountability may be utilized for determining takeoff and landing field lengths. This accountability may be up to 100 percent of the minimum wind component along the takeoff or landing path opposite to the direction of takeoff. Wind accountability data presented in the RFM should be labeled "UNFACTORED" (if 100 percent accountability is taken) and should be accompanied by the following note: "Unless otherwise authorized by operating regulations, the pilot is not authorized to credit more than 50 percent of the performance increase resulting from the actual headwind component and must reduce performance by 150 percent of zero to 10 knots have resulted in a significant degradation to the takeoff performance due to flight through the main rotor vortex. Degradation may be determined by ascertaining the power required to fly, by reference to a calibrated pace vehicle, at speeds of 10 knots or less.
(iv) The following list is illustrative of the information that may be provided for a normal category helicopter.
(A) Density altitude chart for converting from pressure to density altitude.
(B) Airspeed calibration (calibrated vs. true indicated airspeed) for level flight.
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