Definition
In FAA documentation, CORP is a shorthand label used to indicate that a referenced entity is a private corporation, specifically one other than ARINC (Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated) or MITRE (a federally funded research and development corporation). It is used in lists and tables to identify the type of organization responsible for a given system, service, or document, distinguishing it from government agencies or the two named contractors that historically support FAA work.
Plain English
CORP just means 'a private company' — and specifically not the two big aviation-related companies ARINC or MITRE, which the FAA lists separately. When you see CORP next to something, it is telling you that a private business (not the FAA, not ARINC, not MITRE) is the one behind it.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym, abbreviation, and NOTAM contraction lists when identifying the type of organization connected with aviation information.
Derivation
From the Latin corporare, meaning 'to form into a body.' A corporation is literally a 'body' of people legally treated as a single entity. Knowing this helps because it reminds you CORP is about who the body is — a private company — not about what they do.
Why Pilots Care
This helps a pilot understand who or what kind of organization is being referred to in a compressed FAA notice or abbreviation list.
Intuition Check
Do not read CORP as every possible corporation. In this FAA contraction, it means a private corporation except for ARINC or MITRE, which are handled separately.
Example Sentence 1
The acronym list showed the system was maintained by CORP, meaning a private company rather than the FAA itself.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots checking the abbreviation table found CORP used for private companies other than ARINC or MITRE.