Definition
An enforcement action by the FAA that temporarily removes a pilot's privilege to exercise the authority of an airman certificate for a defined period. During the suspension, the pilot may not act as a required crewmember or exercise any privileges of the suspended certificate, though the certificate itself is returned at the end of the period. Suspensions are commonly issued for violations such as entering a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR), busting controlled airspace, or other breaches of the Federal Aviation Regulations.
Plain English
A penalty where the FAA takes away a pilot's flying privileges for a set amount of time. The pilot cannot fly during that period, but gets the certificate back when the suspension ends.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of temporary flight restrictions, where entering restricted airspace without authorization can lead to FAA enforcement action.
Derivation
From the Latin suspendere, meaning 'to hang up' or 'hold off.' The certificate is effectively 'held off' — paused — rather than taken away permanently.
Why Pilots Care
Violating TFRs or other regulations can trigger certificate suspensions, grounding the pilot and requiring resolution before returning to flight.
Analogy
It is like a driver’s license suspension: the license may still exist, but the person is not allowed to use it until the suspension ends.
Intuition Check
Do not read “suspension” as just a warning or paperwork delay. In this FAA context, it means the pilot’s authority to use the certificate is temporarily removed.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot received a 90-day certificate suspension after inadvertently flying through a TFR over a stadium event.
Example Sentence 2
After the investigation, the FAA issued certificate suspensions to the pilots involved in the airspace violation.