Required equipment for VFR flight: the 14 CFR 91.205 day and night lists
Based on: 14 CFR 91.205, 14 CFR 91.213eCFR text current as of Checked
Short answer
For day VFR, 14 CFR 91.205(b) requires an airspeed indicator, altimeter, magnetic compass, tachometer and oil pressure gauge for each engine, the right temperature gauges, a manifold pressure gauge for each altitude engine, fuel quantity gauges, a gear position indicator if the gear retracts, seat belts and shoulder harnesses, and an ELT if § 91.207 requires one. Small airplanes certificated after March 11, 1996 also need anticollision lights. Night VFR adds position lights, anticollision lights on all aircraft, a landing light if flying for hire, an adequate electrical source and spare fuses.
The rule in one sentence
§ 91.205(a) says no one may operate a powered civil aircraft with a standard airworthiness certificate unless it has the instruments and equipment listed for that kind of flight, and they are in operable condition. The lists are in paragraphs (b) for day VFR, (c) for night VFR and (d) for IFR.
Day VFR: § 91.205(b)
| Item | When it applies | § 91.205 | Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airspeed indicator | Always | (b)(1) | A |
| Tachometer | For each engine | (b)(4) | T |
| Oil pressure gauge | For each engine using a pressure system | (b)(5) | O |
| Manifold pressure gauge | For each altitude engine | (b)(8) | M |
| Altimeter | Always | (b)(2) | A |
| Temperature gauge | For each liquid-cooled engine | (b)(6) | T |
| Oil temperature gauge | For each air-cooled engine | (b)(7) | O |
| Fuel gauge | Showing the quantity in each tank | (b)(9) | F |
| Landing gear position indicator | If the gear retracts | (b)(10) | L |
| Anticollision light system | Small civil airplanes certificated after March 11, 1996 under Part 23 | (b)(11) | A |
| Magnetic direction indicator | Always | (b)(3) | M |
| Emergency locator transmitter | If § 91.207 requires one | (b)(15) | E |
| Safety belts; shoulder harnesses | Belt for each occupant 2 or older; harnesses for front seats on small airplanes made after July 18, 1978, all seats after December 12, 1986 | (b)(13), (b)(14) | S |
| Flotation gear and a pyrotechnic signaling device | Only for hire over water beyond power-off gliding distance from shore | (b)(12) | — |
Paragraph numbers are from § 91.205(b). The memory-aid letter is the common ATOMATOFLAMES mnemonic.
Paragraph (b)(16) is reserved, and (b)(17) covers shoulder harnesses in rotorcraft made after September 16, 1992. Flotation gear is the item the mnemonic leaves out; it only matters when you fly for hire over water.
Night VFR: § 91.205(c)
Night VFR needs everything in the day list, plus the items below. Instructors often teach them as FLAPS.
- Fuses: one spare set, or three spare fuses of each kind required, accessible to the pilot in flight. (c)(6)
- Landing light: one electric landing light, only if the aircraft is operated for hire. (c)(4)
- Anticollision light system, aviation red or white, on all U.S.-registered civil aircraft. (c)(3)
- Position lights, approved. (c)(2)
- Source of electrical energy adequate for all installed electrical and radio equipment. (c)(5)
If an anticollision light fails, both (b)(11) and (c)(3) let you continue to a place where it can be repaired or replaced.
When something on the list does not work
§ 91.205(a) requires the listed items to be operable, so a broken required item grounds the aircraft for that kind of flight. For equipment that is not required, § 91.213(d) allows takeoff in most small non-turbine airplanes without a Minimum Equipment List if all four of these hold:
- The item is not part of the VFR-day type certification equipment, not marked required on the aircraft’s equipment list or Kinds of Operations Equipment List, not required by § 91.205 or another Part 91 rule for that flight, and not required by an airworthiness directive.
- It is removed (with the cockpit control placarded and the maintenance recorded), or deactivated and placarded “Inoperative”.
- Any deactivation that involves maintenance is done and recorded under Part 43.
- A rated pilot or a person rated to maintain the aircraft decides it does not constitute a hazard.
IFR is a longer list
§ 91.205(d) adds two-way radio and navigation equipment suitable for the route, a gyroscopic rate-of-turn indicator (with exceptions), a slip-skid indicator, a sensitive altimeter adjustable for barometric pressure, a clock with seconds, a generator or alternator of adequate capacity, an attitude indicator and a heading indicator. For IFR at night, the night VFR items apply too.
Questions pilots ask
What does ATOMATOFLAMES stand for?
Airspeed indicator, Tachometer, Oil pressure gauge, Manifold pressure gauge, Altimeter, Temperature gauge (liquid-cooled engines), Oil temperature gauge (air-cooled engines), Fuel gauge, Landing gear position indicator, Anticollision lights, Magnetic compass, ELT, Safety belts and shoulder harnesses. It is a memory aid taught by instructors, not wording from the regulation.
Is a radio required for VFR flight?
Not by § 91.205(b) or (c). Two-way radio communication and navigation equipment is required for IFR under § 91.205(d)(2). Radios and transponders can still be required by the airspace you fly in, under other sections of Part 91.
Do I need anticollision lights for day VFR?
Under § 91.205(b)(11), only on small civil airplanes certificated after March 11, 1996 under Part 23. For night VFR, § 91.205(c)(3) requires an approved anticollision light system on all U.S.-registered civil aircraft. If a light fails, you may continue to a place where it can be repaired.
Can I fly with an inoperative fuel gauge?
No. A fuel gauge for each tank is required by § 91.205(b)(9), and § 91.213(d) does not allow takeoff with equipment that § 91.205 requires for the flight.
The full text, offline
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