AFS-15-4016-E 

November 30, 2015 

 Exemption No. 9844D 

 Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2004-17207 

Mr. Ed Rusk 

Manager of Quality 

Thrush Aircraft, Inc. 

300 Old Pretoria Road 

Albany, GA 31706 

Dear Mr. Rusk: 

This letter is to inform you that we have granted your petition to extend Exemption No. 9844, 

as amended. It transmits our decision, explains its basis, and gives you the conditions and 

limitations of the exemption, including the date it ends. 

The Basis for Our Decision 

By letter dated July 22, 2015, you petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 

behalf of Thrush Aircraft, Inc. (Thrush) for an extension of Exemption No. 9844, as amended. 

That exemption from § 61.31(a)(1) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) allows 

Thrush pilots to operate as pilot-in-command (PIC) without holding a type rating when 

operating Thrush Model S2R-T660 aircraft that have a maximum gross weight that exceeds 

12,500 pounds. 

In your petition, you indicate that there has been no change in the conditions and reasons 

relative to public interest and safety that were the basis for granting the original exemption. 

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

in the Federal Register because the requested extension of the exemption would not set a 

precedent, and any delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to Thrush. 
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Our Decision 

The FAA has determined that the justification for the issuance of Exemption No. 9844, as 

amended, remains valid with respect to this exemption and is in the public interest. 

Therefore, under the authority provided by 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 40113 and 44701, which the 

FAA Administrator has delegated to me, I grant Thrush Aircraft, Inc. (Thrush) an exemption 

from 14 CFR § 61.31(a)(1) to the extent necessary to allow Thrush pilots to operate as pilotin-command (PIC) without holding a type rating when operating Thrush Model S2R-T660 

aircraft that have a maximum gross weight that exceeds 12,500 pounds, subject to the 

conditions and limitations below. 

Conditions and Limitations 

1. This exemption applies to pilots operating S2R-T660 aircraft that hold a restricted 

category airworthiness certificate for operations involving agricultural, forest 

protection, and narcotic crop eradication flight operations. 

2. Thrush must develop and maintain a training manual that includes aeronautical 

knowledge training on the S2R-T660 aircraft systems, and the performance and 

handling characteristics of the SR2-T660 aircraft. This training manual must include 

characteristics that are unique to S2R-T660 aircraft that are operated above 12,500 

pounds. Thrush may exercise the privileges of this exemption only if it has 

documentation showing approval of its training manual from the FAA’s General 

Aviation and Commercial Division, located at 800 Independence Avenue, S.W., 

Washington, DC 20591. The training manual and approval documentation must be 

made immediately available to any representative of the FAA Administrator, upon 

request. 

3. Except as provided in Condition and Limitation No. 4, before a pilot can serve as PIC 

in the S2R-T660 aircraft, that pilot must have successfully completed familiarization 

ground training for the S2R-T660 aircraft that includes a review of the approved 

aircraft flight manual and cockpit familiarization checkout. This checkout must 

include documented ground training on the S2R-T660 aircraft systems, and the 

performance and handling characteristics of the S2R-T660 aircraft. 

4. Pilots who have logged at least100 hours of flight time, with at least 10 hours in the 

preceding 12 months, in a S2R-T660 aircraft, need not complete the training 

requirements of Condition and Limitation No. 3. A record of this flight time must be 

made available by the pilot upon request by any representative of the FAA 

Administrator. 

5. Thrush must – 

a. Ensure each pilot logs the ground training in his or her logbook, or Thrush 

must record such training in the pilot’s training record; and 
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b. Make this record of training available for review to any representative of the 

FAA Administrator, upon request. 

6. The person qualified to give training under this exemption must meet the following 

minimum qualifications: 

a. Be authorized by Thrush to give this instruction; 

b. Hold at least a commercial pilot certificate; and 

c. Meet the following experience requirements: 

i. 500 hours of flight time in turbine-powered agricultural type airplanes; 

or 

ii. 1,000 hours of flight time in agricultural type airplanes which includes 

at least 100 hours of flight time in a S2R-T660 aircraft. 

7. Thrush must make a copy of this exemption available to each pilot who serves as PIC 

in the S2R-T660 aircraft. 

The Effect of Our Decision 

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

Sincerely, 

/s// 

John S. Duncan 

Director, Flight Standards Service