Definition
An entity authorized by the FAA to administer pilot knowledge tests, practical tests, or both, on its behalf. This authority allows approved flight schools, training centers, or designated examiners to conduct official testing leading to FAA pilot certificates and ratings without requiring the test to be administered directly by an FAA inspector.
Plain English
An organization or person the FAA has officially approved to give pilot tests and issue results that count toward an FAA certificate.
Context Anchor
Seen when comparing sources of flight training, especially FAA-approved pilot schools operating under structured training programs.
Derivation
From Latin examinare, meaning to weigh or test, combined with authority, meaning the right to act on behalf of someone else. In this case, the school or examiner has been granted the right to test on the FAA's behalf.
Why Pilots Care
A school with examining authority can often schedule and complete your practical test more quickly and issue your temporary certificate on the spot, reducing delays in your training timeline.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as simply “someone who examines.” In this FAA training context, examining authority means official FAA permission for a school to conduct and certify testing for a specific approved course.
Example Sentence 1
Because the academy held examining authority, students could take their private pilot checkride on-site rather than scheduling an outside examiner.
Example Sentence 2
With examining authority, the school issued the temporary private pilot certificate right after the checkride.