Definition
The FAA Aeronautical Center, officially the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, is the FAA's central facility in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It houses the FAA Academy (where controllers, inspectors, and technicians are trained), the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, and the Airmen Certification Branch, which maintains the official records of every U.S. pilot certificate, medical certificate, and aircraft registration.
Plain English
The FAA's main support and training campus in Oklahoma City. It's where pilot certificates and aircraft registrations are processed and recorded, and where many FAA staff are trained.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA abbreviation lists, handbook references, and administrative aviation documents.
Derivation
FAA stands for Federal Aviation Administration. Aeronautical comes from words meaning air and navigation, so it points to work connected with aircraft and flying.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots submit medical applications, request records, and complete testing through this center, so understanding the term helps navigate required FAA processes.
Intuition Check
Do not read “center” here as an air traffic control facility talking to airplanes. In FAAAC, “center” means an FAA support organization or facility.
Example Sentence 1
After losing his pilot certificate, he requested a replacement from the FAA Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City.
Example Sentence 2
All pilot records are stored and updated at the FAAAC in Oklahoma City.