Student Pilot Glossary: PPL Terms You Should Know

Flight training has its own shorthand: acronyms, regulation numbers, and a few words that mean something specific in aviation. Here is a plain-language reference to the terms you will run into most on the way to your Private Pilot certificate.

Terms you’ll hear

PPL

Private Pilot License (the FAA Private Pilot Certificate). Lets you fly for personal, non-commercial purposes.

CFI

Certificated Flight Instructor. The instructor who trains you, signs your endorsements, and verifies your flights.

DPE

Designated Pilot Examiner. The FAA-authorized examiner who gives your checkride.

ACS

Airman Certification Standards. The FAA document that sets the knowledge, skill, and tolerances you are tested to.

§61.109

The regulation listing the flight experience required for a private certificate (40 hours and its sub-requirements).

Cross-country (XC)

A flight with a landing more than 50 NM straight-line from where you departed (per §61.1).

Dual

Flight time received with an instructor on board (dual received, or dual instruction).

Solo

Flight time with you as the only person aboard, flown under a current solo endorsement.

PIC

Pilot in Command. The pilot responsible for the operation and safety of the flight.

Checkride

The practical test for a certificate or rating: an oral exam and a flight, given by a DPE.

Endorsement

A dated, signed note from an instructor authorizing a specific privilege, such as solo, per AC 61-65.

Knowledge test

The FAA written exam. The result is good for 24 calendar months before the practical test.

IACRA

Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application. The online system for FAA certificate applications.

BasicMed

An alternative to an FAA medical certificate that lets many pilots fly under certain conditions after a one-time qualification.

Class 3 medical

The FAA medical certificate class most private and student pilots use.

Student pilot certificate

The certificate you hold while training, obtained through IACRA, before you earn the private certificate.

Part 61

The flexible, self-paced set of FAA training rules (40-hour PPL minimum).

Part 141

FAA-approved, structured flight-school training with a syllabus and stage checks (35-hour PPL minimum).

Ground school

The classroom or self-study part that prepares you for the knowledge test and oral exam.

Solo cross-country

A cross-country flown solo. The private certificate needs 5 hours, including one long XC of at least 150 NM.

ARROW

Memory aid for required onboard aircraft documents: Airworthiness, Registration, Radio license (if international), Operating limitations, Weight & balance.

Night currency

Recent-experience rules for carrying passengers at night, such as three full-stop night landings within 90 days.