Pilot Path · Decision plan
Pilot First Steps
Two questions, then a concrete plan for the decision actually in front of you. You do not need to know any aviation terminology, and nothing here creates an account, a purchase, or a booking.
New to aviation? Plain-language meanings of the words on this page
- Certificate
- The main FAA pilot credential — think of it as licence-style, in plain terms. It defines what kind of flying you may do, within its own privileges and limitations.
- Rating
- An add-on to a certificate, such as the instrument rating. It adds specific privileges — and specific requirements — rather than replacing what the certificate already covers.
- Knowledge test (the “written”)
- A multiple-choice exam taken at an authorized testing center. It is one milestone in training, not the training itself.
- Checkride
- The FAA practical test with an examiner: a spoken part on the ground and a flight. Passing it is how a certificate or rating is issued.
- CFI
- Certificated Flight Instructor — a pilot certificated by the FAA to give flight instruction within the ratings on their own certificate.
- Ground school
- The classroom or self-study side of training: weather, regulations, systems, and planning, learned outside the airplane.
- ACS
- Airman Certification Standards — the FAA document describing the knowledge, risk-management, and skill areas an applicant must demonstrate on a practical test.
- AME
- Aviation Medical Examiner — an FAA-designated doctor. Only an AME or the FAA can tell you whether you personally qualify medically.
- Part 61 / Part 141
- Two FAA training frameworks. Part 141 schools follow an FAA-approved syllabus; Part 61 allows more flexible training. Each has its own eligibility and experience requirements.
Choose a decision above to generate a plan.