Definition
Two sections of the U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations that set the airworthiness (design and certification) standards for civil helicopters. Part 27 covers Normal Category Rotorcraft (smaller helicopters with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of 7,000 pounds or less and nine or fewer passenger seats). Part 29 covers Transport Category Rotorcraft (larger helicopters above those limits, including most multi-engine commercial and offshore helicopters).
Plain English
These are the rulebooks the FAA uses to decide whether a helicopter is safe enough to be certified. Part 27 is for smaller helicopters; Part 29 is for larger ones. They spell out how the aircraft must be built and what equipment it must carry.
Context Anchor
Seen in helicopter instrument flying material when the FAA is explaining what flight and navigation equipment a helicopter must have or be approved to use.
Derivation
CFR stands for Code of Federal Regulations. Title 14 of that code covers Aeronautics and Space, and within it the FAA's airworthiness rules are split by aircraft type — Part 27 and Part 29 are the two rotorcraft sections. The numbers themselves are just chapter labels, but knowing they live inside the FAA's airworthiness rulebook helps make sense of why they matter.
Why Pilots Care
A helicopter must be certified under the correct part to legally conduct instrument flight; using the wrong category can limit approved operations or equipment configurations.
Intuition Check
“Parts” does not mean pieces of the aircraft here. It means numbered sections of the federal aviation rulebook.
Example Sentence 1
This light single-engine helicopter is certified under 14 CFR Part 27, so it falls under the Normal Category rotorcraft standards.
Example Sentence 2
Flight and navigation equipment must meet the standards in 14 CFR Parts 27 and 29 for the helicopter to be approved for IFR operations.