Air Carrier and Commercial Operator Training Programs

This document amends the training and qualification requirements for certain air carriers and commercial operators by requiring certain certificate holders operating under part 135, and permitting certain others, to comply with part 121 training, checking, and qualification requirements, and mandating Crew Resource Management (CRM) training requirements for part 121 and 135 operators. The FAA is amending these rules in order to make certain part 135 training requirements as comprehensive as part 121 requirements and to incorporate recent knowledge about human performance factors. The rule also allows certain part 135 certificate holders to take advantage of sophisticated aircraft simulator training technologies presently available to part 121 certificate holders. By increasing the training and qualification requirements for certain operators, the rule is intended to reduce the risk of accidents and incidents. By mandating CRM training for certificate holders required to comply with part 121 training requirements, the rule is also intended to reduce the number of accidents and incidents that could be attributed to a lack of crew communication and coordination.