November 19, 2015

Exemption No. 13745

Regulatory Docket No. FAA

- 201 5

- 3934

Mr. Mark Chmieleski

Director of Operations

Air Medical Resource Group

10888 South 300 West

South Jordan, UT 84095

Dear Mr. Chmieleski :

This letter is to inform you that we have granted your request for exemption. It transmits our

decision, explains its basis, and gives you the conditions and limitations of the exemption,

including the date it ends.

The Basi s for Our Decision

By letter posted to the docket on September 18 , 2015

, you petitioned the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) on behalf of Air Medical Resource Group ( AMRG ), for an exemption

from § 135. 611 (b) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (1 4 CFR) to allow AMRG to
conduct instrument flight rules (IFR) departures and IFR approach procedures at airports and

heliports that do not have an approv ed weather reporting source in h elicopter a ir a mbulance

operations using aircraft without functioning s evere weather detection equipment (airborne

radar or lightning strike detection equipment) when there is no reasonable expectation of

severe weather at the destination, the alternate, or along the route of flight.

The FAA has determined that good cause ex ists for not publishing a summary of the petition

in the Federal Register because the requested exemption would not set a precedent, and any

delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to AMRG

.

The FAA has issued a grant of exemption in circumst ances similar in all material respects to

those presented in your petiti on. In Grant of Exemption No

. 13133 (copy enclosed), the FAA

found that smaller operators and operators that have not yet established an operational control2

center can establish fligh t monitoring capabilities utilizing personnel trained on availablility of

severe weather reporting and forecasting products and appropriate methods of communicating

observed real

- time location and rate of development of severe weather. In addition, the FAA

found that granting an exemption from the requirement for onboard severe weather detection

equipment would not adversely affect safety if the operator provides appropriate training in

conveying thunderstorm reporting and forecasting to flight crew and ope rational control

specialist ( OCS ) or other personnel assigned to monitor operations to ensure that the

exemption is utilized only when there is no reasonable expectation of thunderstorms or other

potentially hazardous weather that could otherwise be detect ed along the route with onboard

weather radar or lightning detection equipment.

Having reviewed your reasons for requesting an exemption, I find that

—

• they do no t differ materially from those presented by the petitioner in the enclosed G rant

of e xemption N o. 13133 ;

• the reasons stated by the FAA for granting the enclosed Grant of Exemption No. 13133

also apply to the situation you present; and

• a grant of exemption is in the public interest.

Our Decision

Under the authority contained in 49 U.S.C. §§ 1 0 6 (f), 40113 and 44701, which the FAA

Administrator has delegated to me, Air Medical Resource Group is granted an exemption

from § 135. 6 11 (b) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) to allow AMRG to
conduct IFR departures and IFR approach procedures at airports and heliports that do not have

an approv ed weather reporting source in h elicopter a ir a mbulance operation using aircraft

without functioning severe weather detection equipment (airborne radar or lightning strike

detection equipment) when there is no reasonable expectation of severe weather at the

destination, the alternat e, or along the route of flight

, subject to the conditions and limit ation s

described below.

Conditions and Limitations :

1. The exemption is limited to IFR helicopter air ambulance operations conducted by

AMRG (operating certificate 7AJA299N ) in accordance with § 135.601 in helicopters

with a passenger seating configuration of nine seats or less (excluding any pilot seat).

2. Use of t h i s e x e m p ti on i s a u t ho r i z e d on l y a t a i rpo r t s or h e l i po r t s w it h a n i ns t r u m e nt

a pp r o ac h p r o ce du r e a nd a t wh i c h a w ea t h e r re po r t i s not a v a il a b l e fr om t he national

weather service ( N W S )

, a sou rc e a pp r ov e d by t he N W S

, or a sou rc e a pp r ov e d by t he

Ad mi n i s t ra t o r

.

3. When conducting operations under the provisions o f this exemption, AMRG and the

pilot in command ( P I C ) must comply with §§ 135.611(a), (c), and (d) as applicable.3

4. The PIC and either a n AMRG OCS or other AMRG personnel who satisfy the

requirements of condition and limitation eight of this exemption must participate in

the IFR pre

- flight planning and risk analysis requied by § 135.617 for the purpose of

assessing the probability of severe weather. If the PIC or either the OCS or personnel

who satisfies the requirements of Condition and L imitation No. 8

, de termines that there

is a reasonable expectation of thunderstorms at the destination airport or heliport, at

the alternate airport or heliport, or along the route to be flown for the period of time

planned for the flight, the flight must be declined.

5. Each PIC who conducts operations under this exemption must use current weather

observations and forecast information obtained from the NWS or from a source

approved by the FAA, to determine that there is no reasonable expectation of

thunderstorms at the destina tion airport or heliport, at the alternate airport or heliport,

or along the route to be flown for the period of time planned for the flight. Sources

include all of the following: AIRMET, SIGMET, C onvective SIGMET, METAR,

R egional NEXRAD, NOTAM, PIREP, and TAF or other aviation weather forecast, as

appropriate and available.

6. All flights conducted under this grant of exemption must be continuously monitored by

a n AMRG OCS or other AMRG personnel who satisfy the requirements of C ondition

and L imitation No. 8 of this exemption. Any information concerning thunderstorms

and severe weather must be provided directly to the pilot via two

- way communication

system or by relay through a communications center.

7. F li g ht p l a nn i ng f or I F R f li g h t s c ondu c t e d und e r t h i s e x e m p ti on must include s e l ec ti on

of a n a lt er n a t e a i r po r t t h a t m ee t s t he re qu i re m e n t s of §§ 135.221 a nd 135.223 a nd h a s

a n a pp r ov e d w ea t h e r re po r ti ng sou rc e i n acc o r d a n c e w it h § 135.213.

8. AMRG m ust amend its FAA

- approved training program as provided in § 135. 325 to

ensure all pilots conducting IFR operations under this exemption and all AMRG OCSs or

other AMRG personnel reviewing risk analyses and monitoring flights satisfactorily

complete additional initial and recurrent training, checking and testing prior to operating

under the provisions of this exemption. The pilot recurrent training, testing and checking on

the subjects identified in paragraphs a. through f. of this condition and limitation must take

place within 12 calendar months before service as a pi lot operating in compliance with this

exemption. The OCS or other personnel monitoring the flight must complete this

additional recurrent training and testing every 12 calendar months after completion of

initial training and testing. The training, testing , and checking, as applicable to the pilot and

the OCS or other personnel monitoring the flight must include the following subjects:

a. The applicability and use of this exemption;

b. IFR op era ti ng p r o ce du re s f or l o ca ti ons w it hout w ea t h e r re po r ti ng;4

c. IFR fligh t planning considerations for thunderstorms and convective activity;

d. Use and interpretation of NWS charts, w ea t h e r r e po r ts, and f o reca s t product s that

depict current or forecast thunderstorm activity a s w e l l a s w ea t h e r s er v i ce s, such as

p il ot re po r t s, AIRM ETS, SIGMETS, live radar feeds, a nd i n

- f li g ht severe weather

advisories ;

e. Interpretation and appropriate use of available cockpit weather displays including

the significant limitations of NEXRAD or similar mosaic weather displays and that

such in

- flight gr aphic weather depictions may not be used for penetration of areas

of thunderstorms or navigation around thunderstorms; and

f. M e t hods f or d e t er mi n i ng w ea t h e r conditions including the presence of severe

weather precursors during obs er v a ti ons by t he pil o t . Th i s m ust i n c l ude m e t hods f or

d e t er mi n i ng p re s e nt v i s i b ilit y ( m ea su re d or e s tim a t e d )

, m e t hods f or d e t er mi n i ng

e s tim a t e d ce ili n g s, a nd m e t hods f or w ea t h e r obs er v a ti on us e d by t he NWS

.

This exemption terminates on November 30 , 2017 , unless sooner superseded or rescinded.

Sincerely,

/s/

John S. Duncan

Director, Flight Standards Service

Enclosure