8/GHORN A/RWAYS,NC. 

P.O. BOX 4037 • 912 W. BRUNDAGE LANE • SHERIDAN, WYOMING 82801 • PHONE 307.672.3421 • FAX 307.672.8580 • WWW.BIGHORNAIRWAYS.COM 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Docket Management System 

400 7'h St. SW 

Room PL 401 

Washington, D.C. 20591-001 

April 7, 2015 

Bighorn Airways 

PO Box 4037 

Sheridan, WY 82801 

(307)672-3421 

Attn: Chris Eisele 

c.eisele@bighornairways.com 

Petition for Request of Regulatory Exemption; Bighorn Airways Air Carrier 

Certificate BIGA467C 

Summary of request; 

14 CFR 43.3(g), contains provisions for pilots of any aircraft operated under Part 

91, to perform preventative maintenance , as defined by 14 CFR 43 Appendix A( c). 

43.3(g) also prohibits pilots of aircraft operated under 14 CFR 135, from performing 

these same preventative maintenance tasks. Bighorn Airways (BHA), requests relief 

from this regulation, specifically to allow pilots operating under Part 135 ondemand, in support of US government contracts, in areas where maintenance is not 

available, to perform routine aircraft tire pressure checks and servicing. This 

request applies to all BHA Dornier 228-202 and CASA 212-200 aircraft. 

Description of Operations; 

Bighorn Airways operates aircraft under Part 135 on OAS/USFS/BLM contracts, 

principally for smoke jumper and para-cargo deployment, in support of wildfire 

suppression. Aircraft are frequently redirected during the fire season to remote 

bases where maintenance facilities or support is unavailable . 

.. ~, Justification for relief and substantiation of equivalent level of safety; 

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Bighorn Airways aircraft support operations on the aforementioned, and similar, US 

Government contracts that are critical to the public interest. Due to the rugged 

terrain and limited access where wildfire frequently occurs on public lands, BHA 

provides the means to initially deploy and re-supply firefighting personnel and 

equipment, to support the firefighting efforts and maintain personnel safety. 

1. Pilots authorized to perform aircraft tire servicing will be trained on servicing 

procedures and precautions, including hands-on training with a certified A&P 

mechanic. This training record will be retained in the pilot's training file and 

will have an annual recurrent requirement. 

1. Calibrated tire pressure gauges will be assigned to each aircraft and kept on 

board for performing these checks. 

2. Pilot procedures for checking and servicing tires will be used when 

maintenance is unavailable. 

3. Tires on the aircraft for which Bighorn Airways seeks relief from CFR 43.3(g), 

are not high pressure tires, having a maximum inflation pressure of 80psi or 

less. 

4. Allowing pilots to verify proper tire pressures when a visual indication of 

possible under-inflation exists (such as due to uneven surface or aircraft 

loading), maintains the standards of operational safety while avoiding delay 

to missions critical to public safety or interests. 

s. In accordance with Bighorn Airways General Operations Manual, Chapter 7 

(Maintenance Policies and Procedures), any further discrepancies will be 

reported to Bighorn Airways maintenance for corrective action, as per current 

procedures. 

The undersigned applicant accepts responsibility for the strict observance of the 

terms of an exemption issued as a result of this petition and understands it is 

applicable only if the conditions listed are met and for the operations described. 

I CERTIFY the foregoing statements are true. 

Signature 

Chris Eisele 

Vice President/Director of Operations 

Bighorn Airways