Definition
A specific paragraph within Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 23, that establishes the certification requirement for minimum control speed (VMC) in multiengine airplanes. It states that VMC may not exceed 1.2 times the stall speed (VS1) determined at the maximum takeoff weight, setting an upper limit on how high a manufacturer's published VMC value can be relative to stall speed.
Plain English
A federal rule that caps how high a multiengine airplane's minimum control speed is allowed to be. It says VMC cannot be more than 1.2 times the airplane's stall speed at maximum takeoff weight.
Context Anchor
You see this in discussions of how VMC is derived for multiengine airplanes during certification, not as a cockpit checklist item.
Derivation
The numbering follows the standard format for federal regulations: Part 23, section 149, paragraph (b), subparagraph (2). Part 23 covers airworthiness standards for normal category airplanes, and section 149 specifically addresses minimum control speed requirements.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing this section explains why VMC changes with power, density altitude, and propeller effects, directly affecting safe single-engine operations and emergency procedures.
Analogy
A regulation citation is like a street address. It does not explain the whole neighborhood; it points you to one exact place.
Intuition Check
Do not read “section” here as a section of the airplane or simply a chapter section in the handbook. Here it means a specific paragraph inside an FAA regulation.
Example Sentence 1
Under section 23.149(b)(2), the manufacturer had to demonstrate that VMC did not exceed 1.2 times the stall speed at maximum takeoff weight.
Example Sentence 2
A pilot checking the AFM can trace the published VMC value back to the conditions required by section 23.149(b)(2) during certification.