Pilot certification in the United States

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Pilot certification in the United States is typically required for an individual to act as a pilot-in-command of an aircraft. It is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). A pilot may be certified under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 61 or 14 CFR Part 141 (if a student at an approved part 141 school). Pilots may also be certified under 14 CFR Part 107 for commercial drone operations.

An FAA-issued pilot certificate is evidence that an individual is duly authorized to exercise piloting privileges. The pilot certificate is one of several kinds of airman certificates issued by the FAA for flight engineers, flight instructors, ground instructors, aircraft dispatchers, mechanics/repairmen, parachute riggers, control tower operators, flight navigators, and flight attendants.