49 U.S.C. § 44711 — Prohibitions and exemption

(a) Prohibitions. A person may not: (1) operate a civil aircraft in air commerce without a valid airworthiness certificate, or in violation of one; (2) serve as an airman on a civil aircraft, engine, propeller, or appliance used in air commerce without an airman certificate authorizing that role, or in violation of the certificate's terms or FAA rules; (3) employ an airman for civil aircraft service in air commerce who lacks the certificate needed for that role; (4) operate as an air carrier without an air carrier operating certificate, or in violation of its terms; (5) operate aircraft in air commerce in violation of FAA rules or certificates; (6) operate a U.S.-registered seaplane or other aircraft on the high seas against navigational rules under the International Navigational Rules Act of 1977; (7) violate the terms of an air agency, design organization, or production certificate, or related FAA rules; (8) operate an airport without an airport operating certificate, or in violation of its terms; (9) manufacture, sell, or offer aviation fuel or additives that violate FAA fuel rules; (10) work as an aircraft dispatcher outside a designated dispatching or flight-following center, except as section 44747 allows; or (11) violate section 44732 (the flight-deck personal device rule) or its regulations. (b) Exemption. On terms it decides serve the public interest, the FAA can exempt foreign aircraft and the airmen serving on them from subsection (a). But it can never grant an exemption from air traffic rules. (c) Prohibition on Employment of Convicted Counterfeit Part Traffickers. Anyone covered by this chapter may not knowingly hire someone to work on procuring, selling, making, or repairing an aviation part or material, or installing one on a civil aircraft, if that person has been convicted of a federal crime involving counterfeit or falsely-labeled aviation parts or material. (d) Post-employment Restrictions for Inspectors and Engineers. (1) A holder of a part 21 or 119 certificate may not knowingly hire, or make a deal letting someone act as its agent or representative before the FAA, if that person, in the past two years, (A) served as, or oversaw, a flight standards inspector, or an FAA employee responsible for certifying that certificate holder, and (B) had responsibility to inspect or oversee that holder's operations. (2) A person counts as acting as an agent or representative under (1) if they make any written or spoken communication to the FAA on the certificate holder's behalf about a particular matter — regardless of whether a specific party is involved, and regardless of whether the person previously worked on that matter.