FAR 23.2605 — Equipment Installation and Operation
FAR 23.2605 covers labeling of flight deck equipment and how Part 23 airplanes must display warnings, cautions, and system info to the flightcrew.
In Plain English
FAR 23.2605 sets the basic ground rules for how equipment in a Part 23 airplane must be installed and how it communicates with the pilot. It's a certification standard, but understanding it helps you make sense of why your flight deck looks and behaves the way it does.
The rule has three core requirements:
- Labeling: Every item of installed equipment tied to the flightcrew interface (switches, controls, indicators) must be labeled with its identification, function, or operating limitations — whatever applies.
- System indications: There must be a discernible means of showing the operating parameters needed to fly the airplane. That includes warnings, cautions, and normal indications delivered to the crewmember responsible for that system.
- Unsafe condition alerts: If a system enters an unsafe operating condition, the information must reach the responsible crewmember in a timely manner and be clear enough to prevent likely pilot errors.
Operationally, this is why you can trust that a red light means act now, an amber light means be aware, and every switch on the panel tells you what it does — the design was certified to make the right action obvious.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 23.2605§ 23.2605 Installation and operation.
(a) Each item of installed equipment related to the flightcrew interface must be labelled, if applicable, as to it identification, function, or operating limitations, or any combination of these factors.
(b) There must be a discernible means of providing system operating parameters required to operate the airplane, including warnings, cautions, and normal indications to the responsible crewmember.
(c) Information concerning an unsafe system operating condition must be provided in a timely manner to the crewmember responsible for taking corrective action. The information must be clear enough to avoid likely crewmember errors.
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What does FAR 23.2605 require for labeling of installed equipment?
Per FAR 23.2605(a), each item of installed equipment related to the flightcrew interface must be labeled — when applicable — with its identification, function, operating limitations, or a combination of these.
Q2How must system operating information be presented to the flightcrew under Part 23?
FAR 23.2605(b) requires a discernible means of providing the operating parameters needed to fly the airplane — including warnings, cautions, and normal indications — to the crewmember responsible for that system.
Q3What does FAR 23.2605 say about alerting the crew to an unsafe system condition?
FAR 23.2605(c) requires that information about an unsafe system operating condition be provided in a timely manner to the crewmember responsible for corrective action, and be clear enough to avoid likely crew errors.
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Related Sections in Part 23