Definition
The FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) that holds the official certification file for a particular operator, air agency, or certificate holder, and is responsible for the ongoing oversight, surveillance, and administrative actions related to that certificate.
Plain English
The specific FAA local office that owns the paperwork for a certificate holder and is in charge of supervising them.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA guidance, inspection records, and certification paperwork for airlines, approved training schools, and maintenance organizations.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots employed by certificate holders may interact with this office during certification events, inspections, or when operational changes require FAA approval.
Intuition Check
Do not read “certificate-holding” as meaning the office physically keeps the certificate. It means the office is responsible for overseeing the person or organization that holds the FAA certificate.
Example Sentence 1
The airline submitted its revised training manual to its certificate-holding district office for approval.
Example Sentence 2
Inspectors from the Certificate-Holding District Office performed a base inspection of the maintenance facility.