Definition
The body of rules issued by the Federal Aviation Administration that governs all civil aviation activities in the United States, including pilot certification, aircraft airworthiness, flight operations, and air traffic procedures. The FARs are codified in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR).
Plain English
The official rulebook for flying in the United States. It covers who can fly, what aircraft can fly, and how they must be flown.
Context Anchor
You will see FAR in FAA handbooks, training materials, checklists, instructor explanations, and discussions about what a pilot is legally allowed or required to do.
Derivation
Federal Aviation Regulations -- 'federal' meaning issued by the U.S. national government, 'aviation' meaning flying, and 'regulations' meaning binding rules. The FAA was established in 1958 and the regulations have carried this name ever since, though they are also formally known today as 14 CFR.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must know and follow the relevant FARs to maintain legal operations and avoid violations that can ground them or affect their certificates.
Intuition Check
FAR does not mean the everyday word “far,” as in distance. In aviation writing, FAR usually means the federal aviation rules.
Example Sentence 1
Before her checkride, she reviewed the FARs covering pilot privileges and limitations.
Example Sentence 2
Updates to the FAR sometimes change how pilots perform preflight inspections.