Plain English Meaning
An airplane rating is the official permission, written on your pilot certificate, to fly a particular type of airplane. The rating tells you what kind of airplane you're allowed to fly as the person in charge — for example, a single-engine plane that lands on land, or a two-engine plane that lands on water.
Full Definition
A category and class qualification added to a pilot certificate that authorizes the holder to act as pilot in command of an airplane within that category and class. Airplane ratings are issued by class — such as single-engine land, multi-engine land, single-engine sea, or multi-engine sea — and are earned by meeting the FAA's training, knowledge, and practical test requirements for that class.
Context Anchor
Seen in pilot certification, training requirements, and light-sport airplane discussions when describing what a pilot is allowed to fly.
Derivation
Rating' comes from the Latin 'ratus,' meaning 'reckoned' or 'judged.' In aviation, a rating is a formal judgment by the FAA that you have met the standard to fly a particular kind of aircraft. So an airplane rating is the FAA's recorded judgment that you are qualified for that specific class of airplane.
Why Pilots Care
It determines whether a pilot is legally allowed to fly an airplane without needing further training or an additional endorsement.
Intuition Check
Do not read rating as a review, grade, or skill score. Here, a rating is an official FAA qualification that shows what kind of aircraft a pilot is authorized to fly.
Example Sentence 1
After passing his checkride, he held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating.
Example Sentence 2
A pilot holding only a glider rating must obtain an airplane rating before flying powered airplanes.