FAR 91.905 — Waivers

FAR 91.905 is the FAA's master list of Part 91 flight rules that are eligible to be waived by the Administrator. Subpart J of Part 91 covers the waiver process — § 91.903 explains the policy and procedure for applying for a Certificate of Waiver, and § 91.905 simply enumerates the specific sections of Part 91 that the FAA has the authority to waive when an applicant shows the proposed operation can be conducted safely.

Key points to understand operationally:

• A waiver allows a pilot or operator to conduct an operation that would otherwise violate a listed rule, provided the FAA finds it can be done safely.
• Only the rules specifically listed in § 91.905 may be waived — rules not on the list cannot be waived under this subpart.
• Common examples of waivable operations include airshows, aerobatic demonstrations, banner towing, and air races, which often need relief from rules on minimum safe altitudes, aerobatic flight, or formation rules.

For checkride purposes, you don't need to memorize every section on the list, but you should know that § 91.905 exists and that not all FARs can be waived — only those Congress and the FAA have made waiver-eligible.