When you choose to fly with a TOPS member operator, you can rest assured that you are flying with an air tour operator who truly puts safety as their number one priority. Our member operators hold themselves to a much higher safety benchmark than other industry operators. They are required to follow the Tour Operators Program of Safety standards, a program that outlines safety requirements above and beyond those required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) , and each member operator must pass an annual independent audit to remain in good standing. As a result of their dedication to this program, TOPS member operators offer the flying public a better combined safety record than the rest of the air tour industry as a whole.
TOPS members are required to equip all aircraft with Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTS).
TOPS members are required to carry aircraft flotation equipment on all extended flights over water to accomplish a safe emergency water landing.
TOPS members are required to equip each passenger and pilot with an approved personal flotation device for all flights over water.
TOPS members are required to equip their aircraft with visibility enhancing equipment such as flashing landing lights, high-visibility rotor blades and strobe lights.
TOPS members are required to carry equipment to meet federal regulations governing night VFR instrumentation for recovery from adverse weather conditions.
TOPS goes beyond the requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) for Part 91 and Part 135 operations, under which most tours are conducted. The following table illustrates some of the TOPS safety requirements that exceed FAA regulations.
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FAR
135
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FAR
91
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| Required Safety Management System |
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| Annual Safety Audits |
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| Designated Safety Manager |
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| Human Factors & Aeronautical Decision Making Training |
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| Ongoing Safety Training |
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| Pilot Requirements of 1,000 hrs. flt. time and typical terrain experience |
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| Minimum enroute altitude of 500 feet above ground level |
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| Minimum of 1 mile visibility |
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| Maximum angle of bank (30) and pitch (10) with smooth transitions |
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| Avoidance of the height-velocity curve |
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| 3 year experience requirement for A&P mechanics |
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| Maintenance factory training requirement |
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| Mechanic annual training requirement |
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| Emergency Locator Transmitter required (ELT) |
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| High visibility rotor blades and flashing landing lights |
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| Aircraft instrumentation required to night visual flight rule standard |
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| Specialized ground support personnel training |
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