Definition
The unique identifying number issued by the FAA on a pilot's airman certificate, used to identify the certificate holder in official records and required when signing maintenance log entries for preventive maintenance performed by the pilot.
Plain English
The personal ID number printed on your pilot certificate. When you do preventive maintenance on your own aircraft and write it up in the logbook, you must include this number next to your signature.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft maintenance log entries, especially after preventive maintenance performed by a pilot.
Derivation
Certificate comes from Latin roots meaning “to make certain” or “to certify.” In aviation, a certificate is official proof that a person holds a certain FAA privilege, and the certificate number is the identifier tied to that proof.
Why Pilots Care
Creates a traceable record of who performed maintenance, supporting safety oversight and regulatory compliance.
Analogy
Like writing your driver’s license number on a form so the state can confirm you are legally allowed to drive.
Intuition Check
Do not confuse certificate number with the aircraft’s N-number or a logbook page number. Here, it means the number on the certificate held by the person signing the maintenance entry.
Example Sentence 1
After replacing the spark plugs, the pilot signed the maintenance entry and wrote her certificate number next to her signature.
Example Sentence 2
Before approving the annual, the inspector double-checked that every entry included a valid certificate number.