Definition
A structured course of pilot training whose curriculum, lesson plans, training devices, and completion standards have been formally reviewed and accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration under a specific regulatory part (such as 14 CFR Part 141, 142, 135, or 121). Approval allows the program to be used to meet certification, currency, or qualification requirements that would otherwise require additional flight time or testing.
Plain English
A training course that the FAA has officially looked at and signed off on. Because the FAA has approved it, finishing the course counts toward pilot ratings, checkrides, or recurrent training requirements.
Context Anchor
You see this term when reading about when flight simulation training devices may be used as part of pilot training and when that training may count toward FAA requirements.
Derivation
FAA means Federal Aviation Administration. Approved comes from the idea of being formally accepted after review; here it means the FAA has authorized the training plan, not merely that the plan seems good or useful.
Why Pilots Care
Only training completed under an FAA-approved program counts toward the aeronautical experience required for FAA certificates and ratings.
Intuition Check
Do not read FAA-approved as meaning “generally recommended by the FAA.” Here it means formally accepted by the FAA for a specific training program, with conditions that must be followed.
Example Sentence 1
The flight school operates an FAA-approved training program under Part 141, which lets students earn a private pilot certificate in fewer total flight hours than the Part 61 minimums.
Example Sentence 2
Instructors update lesson plans whenever the FAA-approved training program is revised.