Definition
The federal regulations under 14 CFR 91.307 that govern when parachutes must be worn aboard an aircraft. In general, when an aircraft is carrying any person other than a required crewmember, no pilot may execute any intentional maneuver that exceeds a bank of 60 degrees relative to the horizon, or a nose-up or nose-down attitude of 30 degrees relative to the horizon, unless each occupant is wearing an approved parachute. Spin training conducted with a certificated flight instructor is specifically excepted from this rule.
Plain English
The rules that say when everyone on board has to wear a parachute. If a pilot is going to bank steeper than 60 degrees or pitch the nose more than 30 degrees up or down on purpose, parachutes are required for everyone — unless it is spin training with a flight instructor.
Context Anchor
You will see this term when reading about spin training, intentional spins, unusual attitudes, aerobatic practice, and preflight planning for those flights.
Why Pilots Care
Ensures a safe bailout option exists if spin recovery fails and the aircraft cannot be controlled.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “parachute requirements” means parachutes are always required for every spin lesson. It means the pilot must apply the FAA rule and any allowed exception to the exact flight being conducted.
Example Sentence 1
Before the aerobatic flight, the instructor reviewed the parachute requirements and made sure both occupants had an approved chute that had been repacked within the last 180 days.
Example Sentence 2
Reviewing the parachute requirements helped the student understand why the parachutes were inspected before flight.