I am trying to find out certification required to fly flights from south Florida to the carribean. If I understand correctly ETOPS certification is only required if an aircraft will be away from an appropriate airfield for a landing with one engine inop of more that 60 minutes.

 

Since this is unlikely on most routes does a flight from say FLL to St. Thomas require ETOPS certification or does the aircraft just need life vests and life rafts for pax and crew? Or because some routes could take you outside of 60 minutes would the certification still be required?

 

Thanks,

 

*Mods if this is not the best forum please move it.

As far as I know, ETOPS would not be required for Caribbean flights, because according to the Great Circle Mapper--

 

http://www.gcmap.com...tist&DU=mi&E=60

 

--you'll always be within 60 minutes of an airport. (To show the shaded ETOPS area, scroll down to the "ETOPS" tab, check the "60 minutes" box, then click "Draw Map".)

 

I think there's another rule, not related to ETOPS, that requires life vests on board for all flights that travel over something like 50 or 75 NM from shore.

 

http://www.gcmap.com...tist&DU=mi&E=60

 

 

That is one feature I never knew GCmap had. Thanks for the reply, I am looking through the FARs to find reference to life jackets and rafts.