H. R. 658—48 
(2) in the analysis for such chapter by striking the item 
relating to section 44704 and inserting the following: 
‘‘44704. Type certificates, production certificates, airworthiness certificates, and de-
sign and production organization certificates.’’. 
SEC. 304. CABIN CREW COMMUNICATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 44728 is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following: 
‘‘(f) MINIMUM LANGUAGE SKILLS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—No person may serve as a flight attend-
ant aboard an aircraft of an air carrier, unless that person 
has demonstrated to an individual qualified to determine pro-
ficiency the ability to read, speak, and write English well 
enough to— 
‘‘(A) read material written in English and comprehend 
the information; 
‘‘(B) speak and understand English sufficiently to pro-
vide direction to, and understand and answer questions 
from, English-speaking individuals; 
‘‘(C) write incident reports and statements and log 
entries and statements; and 
‘‘(D) carry out written and oral instructions regarding 
the proper performance of their duties. 
‘‘(2) FOREIGN FLIGHTS.—The requirements of paragraph (1) 
do not apply to a flight attendant serving solely between points 
outside the United States.’’. 
(b) FACILITATION.—The Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall work with air carriers to facilitate compliance 
with the requirements of section 44728(f) of title 49, United States 
Code (as amended by this section). 
SEC. 305. LINE CHECK EVALUATIONS. 
Section 44729(h) is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (2); and 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (2). 
SEC. 306. SAFETY OF AIR AMBULANCE OPERATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 447 is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘§ 44730. Helicopter air ambulance operations 
‘‘(a) COMPLIANCE REGULATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
section, a part 135 certificate holder providing air ambulance 
services shall comply, whenever medical personnel are onboard 
the aircraft, with regulations pertaining to weather minimums 
and flight and duty time under part 135. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—If a certificate holder described in para-
graph (1) is operating, or carrying out training, under 
instrument flight rules, the weather reporting requirement at 
the destination shall not apply if authorized by the Adminis-
trator of the Federal Aviation Administration. 
‘‘(b) FINAL RULE.—Not later than June 1, 2012, the Adminis-
trator shall issue a final rule, with respect to the notice of proposed 
rulemaking published in the Federal Register on October 12, 2010 
(75 Fed. Reg. 62640), to improve the safety of flight crewmembers,
H. R. 658—49 
medical personnel, and passengers onboard helicopters providing 
air ambulance services under part 135. 
‘‘(c) MATTERS TO BE ADDRESSED.—In conducting the rule-
making proceeding under subsection (b), the Administrator shall 
address the following: 
‘‘(1) Flight request and dispatch procedures, including 
performance-based flight dispatch procedures. 
‘‘(2) Pilot training standards, including establishment of 
training standards in— 
‘‘(A) preventing controlled flight into terrain; and 
‘‘(B) recovery from inadvertent flight into instrument 
meteorological conditions. 
‘‘(3) 
Safety-enhancing 
technology 
and 
equipment, 
including— 
‘‘(A) helicopter terrain awareness and warning systems; 
‘‘(B) radar altimeters; and 
‘‘(C) devices that perform the function of flight data 
recorders and cockpit voice recorders, to the extent feasible. 
‘‘(4) Such other matters as the Administrator considers 
appropriate. 
‘‘(d) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—In issuing a final rule under 
subsection (b), the Administrator, at a minimum, shall provide 
for the following: 
‘‘(1) FLIGHT
RISK
EVALUATION
PROGRAM.—The Adminis-
trator shall ensure that a part 135 certificate holder providing 
helicopter air ambulance services— 
‘‘(A) establishes a flight risk evaluation program, based 
on FAA Notice 8000.301 issued by the Administration on 
August 1, 2005, including any updates thereto; 
‘‘(B) as part of the flight risk evaluation program, 
develops a checklist for use by pilots in determining 
whether a flight request should be accepted; and 
‘‘(C) requires the pilots of the certificate holder to use 
the checklist. 
‘‘(2) OPERATIONAL
CONTROL
CENTER.—The Administrator 
shall ensure that a part 135 certificate holder providing heli-
copter air ambulance services using 10 or more helicopters 
has an operational control center that meets such requirements 
as the Administrator may prescribe. 
‘‘(e) SUBSEQUENT RULEMAKING.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Upon completion of the rulemaking 
required under subsection (b), the Administrator shall conduct 
a follow-on rulemaking to address the following: 
‘‘(A) Pilot training standards, including— 
‘‘(i) mandatory training requirements, including a 
minimum time for completing the training require-
ments; 
‘‘(ii) training subject areas, such as communica-
tions procedures and appropriate technology use; and 
‘‘(iii) establishment of training standards in— 
‘‘(I) crew resource management; 
‘‘(II) flight risk evaluation; 
‘‘(III) operational control of the pilot in com-
mand; and 
‘‘(IV) use of flight simulation training devices 
and line-oriented flight training.
H. R. 658—50 
‘‘(B) Use of safety equipment that should be worn 
or used by flight crewmembers and medical personnel on 
a flight, including the possible use of shoulder harnesses, 
helmets, seatbelts, and fire resistant clothing to enhance 
crash survivability. 
‘‘(2) DEADLINES.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of issuance of a final rule under subsection (b), the Adminis-
trator shall initiate the rulemaking under this subsection. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION ON CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub-
section shall be construed to require the Administrator to pro-
pose or finalize any rule that would derogate or supersede 
the rule required to be finalized under subsection (b). 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following definitions 
apply: 
‘‘(1) PART
135.—The term ‘part 135’ means part 135 of 
title 14, Code of Federal Regulations. 
‘‘(2) PART 135 CERTIFICATE HOLDER.—The term ‘part 135 
certificate holder’ means a person holding an operating certifi-
cate issued under part 119 of title 14, Code of Federal Regula-
tions, that is authorized to conduct civil helicopter air ambu-
lance operations under part 135. 
‘‘§ 44731. Collection of data on helicopter air ambulance oper-
ations 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall require a part 135 certificate holder providing 
helicopter air ambulance services to submit to the Administrator, 
not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, 
and annually thereafter, a report containing, at a minimum, the 
following data: 
‘‘(1) The number of helicopters that the certificate holder 
uses to provide helicopter air ambulance services and the base 
locations of the helicopters. 
‘‘(2) The number of flights and hours flown, by registration 
number, during which helicopters operated by the certificate 
holder were providing helicopter air ambulance services. 
‘‘(3) The number of flight requests for a helicopter providing 
air ambulance services that were accepted or declined by the 
certificate holder and the type of each such flight request (such 
as scene response, interfacility transport, organ transport, or 
ferry or repositioning flight). 
‘‘(4) The number of accidents, if any, involving helicopters 
operated by the certificate holder while providing air ambulance 
services and a description of the accidents. 
‘‘(5) The number of flights and hours flown under 
instrument flight rules by helicopters operated by the certificate 
holder while providing air ambulance services. 
‘‘(6) The time of day of each flight flown by helicopters 
operated by the certificate holder while providing air ambulance 
services. 
‘‘(7) The number of incidents, if any, in which a helicopter 
was not directly dispatched and arrived to transport patients 
but was not utilized for patient transport. 
‘‘(b) REPORTING PERIOD.—Data contained in a report submitted 
by a part 135 certificate holder under subsection (a) shall relate 
to such reporting period as the Administrator determines appro-
priate.
H. R. 658—51 
‘‘(c) DATABASE.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Administrator shall develop a method 
to collect and store the data collected under subsection (a), including 
a method to protect the confidentiality of any trade secret or propri-
etary information provided in response to this section. 
‘‘(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the 
Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
a report containing a summary of the data collected under sub-
section (a). 
‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘part 135’ and 
‘part 135 certificate holder’ have the meanings given such terms 
in section 44730.’’. 
(b) 
AUTHORIZED
EXPENDITURES.—Section 
106(k)(2)(C) 
(as 
redesignated by this Act) is amended by inserting before the period 
the following: ‘‘and the development and maintenance of helicopter 
approach procedures’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chapter 447 is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘44730. Helicopter air ambulance operations. 
‘‘44731. Collection of data on helicopter air ambulance operations.’’. 
SEC. 307. PROHIBITION ON PERSONAL USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES 
ON FLIGHT DECK. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 447 (as amended by this Act) is 
further amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 44732. Prohibition on personal use of electronic devices 
on flight deck 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—It is unlawful for a flight crewmember of 
an aircraft used to provide air transportation under part 121 of 
title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, to use a personal wireless 
communications device or laptop computer while at the flight crew-
member’s duty station on the flight deck of such an aircraft while 
the aircraft is being operated. 
‘‘(b) EXCEPTIONS.—Subsection (a) shall not apply to the use 
of a personal wireless communications device or laptop computer 
for a purpose directly related to operation of the aircraft, or for 
emergency, safety-related, or employment-related communications, 
in accordance with procedures established by the air carrier and 
the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. 
‘‘(c) ENFORCEMENT.—In addition to the penalties provided under 
section 46301 applicable to any violation of this section, the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may enforce 
compliance with this section under section 44709 by amending, 
modifying, suspending, or revoking a certificate under this chapter. 
‘‘(d) PERSONAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE DEFINED.— 
In this section, the term ‘personal wireless communications device’ 
means a device through which personal wireless services (as defined 
in section 332(c)(7)(C)(i) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 332(c)(7)(C)(i))) are transmitted.’’. 
(b) PENALTY.—Section 44711(a) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ after the semicolon in paragraph (8); 
(2) by striking ‘‘title.’’ in paragraph (9) and inserting ‘‘title; 
or’’; and