(iii) ill or injured persons and other persons directly involved;

(b) to perform an operation where a person faces an imminent or anticipated health risk posed by the
environment and either of the following conditions is met:

(i) that person needs to be rescued or provided with supplies;

(ii) persons, animals or equipment need to be transported to and from the HEMS operating site;

(61a) ‘HEMS HEC operation’ means air and ground operations for the purpose of transporting one or
more persons as human external cargo (HEC) within a HEMS flight;

(62) ‘HEMS operating base’ means an aerodrome at which the crew members and the HEMS
helicopter may be on standby for HEMS operations;

(63) ‘HEMS operating site’ means a site that is selected by the commander during a HEMS flight for a
HEMS HEC operation or a landing or a take-off; Easy Access Rules for Air Operations ANNEX I –
Definitions

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(64) ‘HHO flight’ means a flight by a helicopter operating under an HHO approval, the purpose of
which is to facilitate the transfer of persons and/or cargo by means of a helicopter hoist;

(65) ‘HHO offshore’ means a flight by a helicopter operating under an HHO approval, the purpose of
which is to facilitate the transfer of persons and/or cargo by means of a helicopter hoist from or to a
vessel or structure in a sea area or to the sea itself;

(66) ‘HHO passenger’ means a person who is to be transferred by means of a helicopter hoist;

(67) ‘HHO site’ means a specified area at which a helicopter performs a hoist transfer;

(68) ‘hold-over time (HoT)’ means the estimated time the anti-icing fluid will prevent the formation of
ice and frost and the accumulation of snow on the protected (treated) surfaces of an aeroplane;

(69) ‘hostile environment’ means:

(a) an area in which:

(i) a safe forced landing cannot be accomplished because the surface is inadequate; or

(ii) the helicopter occupants cannot be adequately protected from the elements; or

[applicable until 30 April 2025 — Regulation (EU) 2023/1020]

(ii) the helicopter occupants or VCA occupants cannot be adequately protected from the elements; or

[applicable from 1 May 2025 — Regulation (EU) 2024/1111]

(iii) search and rescue response/capability are not provided consistent with anticipated exposure; or

(iv) there is an unacceptable risk of endangering persons or property on the ground;

(b) in any case, the following areas:

(i) for overwater operations, the open sea area north of 45 N and south of 45 S, unless any part is
designated as non-hostile by the responsible authority of the State in which the operations take
place; and

(ii) those parts of a congested area without adequate safe forced landing areas;

(69a) ‘human–machine interface (HMI)’ means a component of certain devices that is capable of
handling human–machine interactions. The interface consists of hardware and software that allow
user inputs to be interpreted and processed by machines or systems that, in turn, provide the
required results to the user;

(69b) ‘in-seat instruction’ means a technique used in the manoeuvres training phase or the scenario-
based training phase, where the instructors can:

(a) provide simple instructions to one pilot; or

(b) perform predetermined exercises acting, in a pilot seat, as pilot flying (PF) or pilot monitoring
(PM) for:

(1) the demonstration of techniques; and/or

(2) triggering the other pilot to intervene or interact; Easy Access Rules for Air Operations ANNEX I –
Definitions

Powered by EASA eRules Page 191 of 2426| Feb 2025

(69c) ‘instructor concordance’ means the consistency or stability of scores between different EBT
instructors which gives a score (or scores) of how much homogeneity, or consensus, there is in the
ratings given by instructors (raters);

(69d) ‘instrument approach operation’ means an approach and landing using instruments for
navigation guidance based on an instrument approach procedure (IAP). There are two methods for
executing instrument approach operations:

(a) a two-dimensional (2D) instrument approach operation, using lateral navigation guidance only;
and

(b) a three-dimensional (3D) instrument approach operation, using both lateral and vertical
navigation guidance;

(69e) ‘instrument approach procedure (IAP)’ means a series of predetermined manoeuvres by

reference to flight instruments with specified protection from obstacles from the initial approach fix
or, where applicable, from the beginning of a defined arrival route to a point from which a landing
can be completed and thereafter, if a landing is not completed, to a position at which holding or en-
route obstacle clearance criteria apply. IAPs are classified as follows:

(a) non-precision approach (NPA) procedure, which means an IAP designed for 2D instrument
approach operations Type A;

(b) approach procedure with vertical guidance (APV) means a performance-based navigation (PBN)
IAP designed for 3D instrument approach operations Type A;
(c) precision approach (PA) procedure means an IAP based on navigation systems designed for 3D
instrument approach operations Type A or B;

(70) ‘landing decision point (LDP)’ means the point used in determining landing performance from
which, an engine failure having been recognised at this point, the landing may be safely continued or
a balked landing initiated;

[applicable until 30 April 2025 — Regulation (EU) 2023/1020]

(70) ‘landing decision point (LDP)’ means:

(a) for helicopters, the point used to determine landing performance from which, an engine failure
having been recognised at this point, the landing may be safely continued or a balked landing
initiated;

(b) for VCA, the point used to determine landing performance from which the landing may be safely
continued or a balked landing initiated, following a CFP;

[applicable from 1 May 2025 — Regulation (EU) 2024/1111]

(70a) ‘landing distance at time of arrival (LDTA)’ means a landing distance that is achievable in normal
operations based on landing performance data and associated procedures determined for the
prevailing conditions at the time of landing;

(71) ‘landing distance available (LDA)’ means the length of the runway which is declared available by
the State of the aerodrome and suitable for the ground run of an aeroplane landing;

[applicable until 30 April 2025 — Regulation (EU) 2023/1020] Easy Access Rules for Air Operations
ANNEX I – Definitions

Powered by EASA eRules Page 192 of 2426| Feb 2025

(71) ‘landing distance available’ means:

(a) for aeroplanes (LDAA), the length of the runway which is declared available by the State of the
aerodrome and suitable for the ground run of an aeroplane landing;

(b) for helicopters (LDAH), the length of the FATO plus any additional area declared available by the
State of the aerodrome and suitable for the helicopter to complete the landing manoeuvre from a
defined height; and

(c) for VCA (LDAV), the length of the FATO plus any additional area declared available and suitable for
the VCA to complete the landing manoeuvre from a defined height;

(71a) ‘landing distance required (LDR)’ means:

(a) for helicopters (LDRH), the horizontal distance required to land and come to a full stop from a
point of 15 m (50 ft) above the landing surface; and

(b) for VCA (LDRV), the horizontal distance required to land and come to a full stop from a point of 15
m (50 ft) above the landing surface;

[applicable from 1 May 2025 — Regulation (EU) 2024/1111]

(72) ‘landplane’ means a fixed wing aircraft which is designed for taking off and landing on land and
includes amphibians operated as landplanes;

(72a) ‘line-orientated flight scenario’ means the assessment and training involving a realistic, ‘real-
time’, full mission simulation of scenarios that are representative of line operations;

(72b) ‘line check’ means a check conducted by the operator and completed by the pilot or the
technical crew member to demonstrate competence in carrying out normal line operations described
in the operations manual;

(73) ‘local helicopter operation (LHO)’ means a commercial air transport operation of helicopters with
a maximum certified take-off mass (MCTOM) over 3 175 kg and a maximum operational passenger
seating configuration (MOPSC) of nine or less, by day, over routes navigated by reference to visual
landmarks, conducted within a local and defined geographical area specified in the operations
manual;

(74) ‘low-visibility operations (LVOs)’ means approach or take-off operations on a runway with a
runway visual range less than 550 m or with a decision height less than 200 ft;

(75) ‘low-visibility take-off (LVTO)’ means a take-off with an RVR less than 550 m;

(76) [deleted with Reg. (EU) 2021/2237]

(76a) ‘maintenance check flight (‘MCF’)’ means a flight of an aircraft with an airworthiness certificate
or with a permit to fly which is carried out for troubleshooting purposes or to check the functioning
of one or more systems, parts or appliances after maintenance, if the functioning of the systems,
parts or appliances cannot be established during ground checks and which is carried out in any of the
following situations:

(a) as required by the aircraft maintenance manual (‘AMM’) or any other maintenance data issued by
a design approval holder being responsible for the continuing airworthiness of the aircraft;

(b) after maintenance, as required by the operator or proposed by the organisation responsible for
the continuing airworthiness of the aircraft;

(c) as requested