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GlossaryCost figures last verified: April 2026

Flight Training Glossary: Aviation Acronyms, Ratings, and Cost Terms

Reference for the aviation acronyms, ratings, regulatory parts, cost terms, and financing terms used across this site. Each term links to the deep page where it gets fuller treatment.

Certificates and ratings

PPL (Private Pilot License)
FAA Private Pilot certificate. 40-hour Part 61 minimum, 35-hour Part 141 minimum. The base certificate; required before most other ratings.
IR (Instrument Rating)
Allows flight in IMC (instrument meteorological conditions). 40-hour Part 61.65 minimum. Required for serious cross-country travel and a precondition for the commercial certificate's privileges.
CSEL (Commercial Single-Engine Land)
Permits flight for compensation or hire in single-engine land aircraft. 250 total time minimum under Part 61.129.
CMEL (Commercial Multi-Engine Land)
Permits commercial flight in multi-engine land aircraft. Typically pursued as an add-on after CSEL.
CFI (Certified Flight Instructor)
Permits instructing in single-engine aircraft. The standard time-building employment for career-track pilots.
CFII (Certified Flight Instructor, Instrument)
Permits instructing for the instrument rating.
MEI (Multi-Engine Instructor)
Permits instructing in multi-engine aircraft.
ATP (Airline Transport Pilot)
The highest pilot certificate. Required as PIC of Part 121 (scheduled airline) operations. 1,500-hour minimum standard rule per 14 CFR 61.159.
R-ATP (Restricted ATP)
Reduced-hours ATP for the FO seat at a Part 121 carrier. 1,250 hours via collegiate aviation, 1,000 via Part 141 academy, 750 via military, per 14 CFR 61.160.
ATP-CTP
Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program. FAA-required course before the ATP checkride. $5,000 to $7,000 typical.
Sport Pilot
Lighter-weight certificate established 2004 for Light Sport Aircraft. 20-hour minimum, no FAA medical required (driver license works). Limited aircraft and weather privileges.
Type Rating
Required for jet aircraft over 12,500 lbs and turbojet aircraft. Typically airline-paid for new hires.

Medical and certification

AME (Aviation Medical Examiner)
FAA-designated physician who issues medical certificates. Find one via the FAA AME locator.
DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner)
FAA-designated examiner who conducts practical tests (checkrides). Sets their own fee, typically $700 to $1,000 for a PPL checkride.
BasicMed
Alternative to the third-class medical for PPL holders. Codified at 14 CFR 68. Requires PPL, prior medical, and a one-time AME exam plus 4-year online course.
Third-class medical
FAA medical certificate required for PPL training and exercise. Costs $75 to $200 from an AME, $120 to $150 typical.
First-class medical
Required for ATP and Part 121 operations.
Second-class medical
Required for commercial pilot privileges.

Cost and rate terms

Wet rate
Aircraft rental rate that includes fuel. Cessna 172 wet rate is the most-cited benchmark, $180 to $220/hr typical.
Dry rate
Aircraft rental rate that excludes fuel. Renter pays for fuel separately. Used by some clubs.
Block time
Total time from engine-start to engine-stop. Used in some operational contexts.
Hobbs time
Time the engine is running, recorded by an electrically-driven Hobbs meter. The standard billing time at most schools.
Tach time
Time the engine is running above a threshold RPM, recorded by a tachometer-driven hour meter. Lower than Hobbs at idle. Used by some schools.
Stage check
Periodic evaluation under a Part 141 syllabus. Costs $200 to $500 each, with 3 to 4 in a typical PPL programme.
Checkride
Practical test conducted by a DPE for a certificate or rating. Has an oral and a flight portion.
Written test (Knowledge Test)
Multiple-choice computer-administered FAA Knowledge Test. PSI fee $175 per attempt.
Currency
Recent flight experience required to exercise certificate privileges. PPL: 3 takeoffs and landings within 90 days to carry passengers.
Biennial Flight Review (BFR)
Required every 24 calendar months. 1 hour ground plus 1 hour flight. $300 to $600 typical.

Regulatory parts

Part 61
FAA regulations for pilot certification, where pacing and curriculum are set by CFI/student. The standard recreational training framework.
Part 91
General operating and flight rules. The default operating-rules framework for most non-commercial flying.
Part 121
Scheduled air carrier operations (the major airlines). Requires ATP minimum for PIC, R-ATP minimum for FO.
Part 135
Air taxi and on-demand commuter operations.
Part 141
FAA-approved pilot school regulations. Requires approved curriculum, stage checks, structured pacing. GI Bill flight training requires Part 141.
Part 142
Training centre regulations, used by simulator-heavy training providers.

Financing

APR (Annual Percentage Rate)
The effective annual cost of a loan, including interest and certain fees.
Deferment
A pause on principal and sometimes interest payments. Common during in-school flight training.
Title IV school
School eligible for federal student aid. In aviation, this typically means a degree-granting collegiate aviation programme. 529 plan funds and federal loans require Title IV eligibility.
529 Plan
Tax-advantaged education savings account. Usable for flight training only at Title IV-eligible (collegiate aviation) schools per IRS Publication 970.
Yellow Ribbon
Programme covering tuition gap above the Post-9/11 GI Bill cap at participating Part 141 collegiate programmes.
Chapter 31 (VR&E)
VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment programme for service-connected-disabled veterans. Can cover full flight training cost in some cases.

EFB and equipment

EFB (Electronic Flight Bag)
Tablet-based flight planning and navigation software. ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot are the two market leaders. $99 to $299/year typical.
ANR (Active Noise Reduction)
Headset technology that cancels low-frequency engine noise electronically. Bose A20, Lightspeed Zulu 3, Lightspeed Delta Zulu are common ANR headsets.
POH (Pilot's Operating Handbook)
Aircraft-specific manual published by the manufacturer. Required onboard for most aircraft.
AFM (Approved Flight Manual)
FAA-approved version of the POH for newer aircraft. Used interchangeably in casual reference.