Definition
The Federal Aviation Regulation that governs Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) in U.S. civil aircraft. It specifies which aircraft must carry an ELT, the type of ELT required, battery replacement and inspection requirements, and the conditions under which an aircraft may be operated without one.
Plain English
This is the rule that says most U.S. aircraft must have a working emergency beacon on board, and it spells out how often the beacon must be checked and when its battery must be replaced.
Context Anchor
You will see this citation in emergency locator transmitter discussions, aircraft equipment checks, maintenance records, and questions about whether an aircraft is legal to fly.
Derivation
‘CFR’ stands for Code of Federal Regulations — the official collection of U.S. federal rules. ‘Part 91’ is the section of those rules covering general operating and flight rules for civil aircraft. ‘Section 91.207’ is the specific rule within Part 91 that deals with ELTs.
Why Pilots Care
Compliance keeps the aircraft legal to fly and ensures the ELT will activate and be detected during a real emergency.
Analogy
Think of it like a street address for a rule. “14 CFR part 91, section 91.207” points you to one exact requirement inside a much larger set of aviation regulations.
Intuition Check
Do not read “part” here as an aircraft part. In this citation, “part” means a large division of federal regulations, and “section” means the specific rule inside that division.
Example Sentence 1
Before signing off the annual inspection, the mechanic verified that the ELT met the requirements of 14 CFR part 91, section 91.207.
Example Sentence 2
During an annual inspection the mechanic documented that the ELT had been tested in accordance with 14 CFR part 91, section 91.207.