Flights over water — helicopters
108.—(1)  An AOC holder must ensure that every person on board a helicopter wears a life jacket, or an integrated survival suit that includes the functionality of the life jacket, during the following periods:
(a)if the helicopter is operating in Performance Class 1 or 2, when the helicopter —
(i)is flying over water in a hostile environment; or
(ii)is flying over water at a distance from land that is more than 10 minutes at normal cruise speed;
(b)if the helicopter is operating in Performance Class 3, when the helicopter is flying at a distance from land that is beyond auto‑rotational range or safe forced landing distance;
(c)at any other time the pilot-in-command of the helicopter so decides, based on the pilot‑in‑command’s determination of the risk to survival of the occupants in the event of ditching.
(2)  Before a helicopter is operated over water, the AOC holder must ensure that the helicopter —
(a)if required under this regulation to carry more than one life raft —
(i)has at least 50% of the life rafts deployable by remote control; and
(ii)has equipped any other required raft, with a mass of more than 40 kg and which is not deployable by remote control, with some means of mechanically assisted deployment; or
(b)if fitted with 2 life rafts, each life raft is able to carry every person on board the helicopter when the life raft is in the overload state.
(3)  Before a helicopter is operated over water in a hostile environment or over water at a distance from land that is more than 10 minutes at normal cruise speed, the AOC holder must equip the helicopter with —
(a)a permanent or rapidly deployable means of flotation so as to ensure a safe ditching of the helicopter;
(b)life rafts of sufficient numbers to carry every person on board, and which are suitably equipped to sustain life in the expected conditions;
(c)equipment for making the distress signals, as described in the Rules of the Air;
(d)a survival suit for each crew member; and
(e)any additional equipment decided by reference to a survival risk assessment completed by the AOC holder.
(4)  Where a helicopter is operated in the circumstances described in paragraph (3), the AOC holder must ensure that the survival suit mentioned in paragraph (3)(d) is worn by every crew member during the following periods:
(a)when the sea temperature is less than 10°C;
(b)when the estimated rescue time exceeds the calculated survival time.
(5)  In paragraph (2)(b), “overload state” means a design safety margin of 1.5 times the maximum capacity of the life raft.