(a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, no person may conduct an extended overwater operation unless the airplane is equipped with the radio communication equipment necessary to comply with §121.349, an independent system that complies with §121.347 (a)(1), and two long-range navigation systems when VOR or ADF radio navigation equipment is unusable along a portion of the route.

(b) No certificate holder conducting a flag or supplemental operation or a domestic operation within the State of Alaska may conduct an operation without the equipment specified in paragraph (a) of this section, if the Administrator finds that equipment to be necessary for search and rescue operations because of the nature of the terrain to be flown over.

(c) Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, installation and use of a single LRNS and a single LRCS may be authorized by the Administrator and approved in the certificate holder's operations specifications for operations and routes in certain geographic areas. The following are among the operational factors the Administrator may consider in granting an authorization:

(1) The ability of the flightcrew to reliably fix the position of the airplane within the degree of accuracy required by ATC,

(2) The length of the route being flown, and

(3) The duration of the very high frequency communications gap.

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19205, Dec. 31, 1964, as amended by Amdt. 121-253, 61 FR 2611, Jan. 26, 1996; Amdt. 121-254, 61 FR 7191, Feb. 26, 1996]