Definition
A person who holds a current flight instructor certificate issued by the FAA under 14 CFR Part 61, with the appropriate ratings to provide flight training in a specific category and class of aircraft. Authorization to instruct is tied to the instructor's certificate, ratings, and currency, and may include specific endorsements (for example, instrument or multi-engine).
Plain English
A flight teacher the FAA has officially certified to give flight training in the type of aircraft you're flying.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA handbooks, training guidance, and regulations when a pilot is told to learn, practice, or review a procedure with a properly qualified instructor.
Derivation
Authorized comes from authority, meaning permission from the proper source. In aviation, the important point is that the permission comes from the FAA rules, not just from experience or personal approval.
Why Pilots Care
Only training given by an authorized flight instructor counts toward certificates, ratings, endorsements, and flight reviews. Training from someone without the proper certificate or ratings does not satisfy FAA requirements, no matter how skilled they are.
Intuition Check
Authorized does not simply mean experienced, trusted, or available. Here it means permitted under FAA rules to give that specific instruction.
Example Sentence 1
Before flying solo, the student received the required endorsement from an authorized flight instructor.
Example Sentence 2
Only an authorized flight instructor may sign off the student’s logbook for the required emergency procedure training.