Definition
An airplane with an engine of more than 200 horsepower, as defined by 14 CFR Part 61. A pilot must hold a one-time logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor to act as pilot in command of such an aircraft.
Plain English
An airplane with a fairly powerful engine — more than 200 horsepower. Before you can fly one as pilot in command, an instructor must train you and sign your logbook to confirm you're qualified.
Context Anchor
Seen in training, rental checkouts, aircraft transitions, and FAA discussions about what qualifications a pilot needs before flying a more powerful airplane.
Why Pilots Care
Tells a pilot whether an extra training endorsement is legally required before acting as pilot in command.
Intuition Check
High performance does not mean “fast-looking,” “expensive,” or “hard to fly” here. In this FAA use, it means the aircraft has an engine rated at more than 200 horsepower.
Example Sentence 1
Before her first flight in the Cessna 182, the student received a high performance aircraft endorsement from her instructor.
Example Sentence 2
Before flying the high performance aircraft as pilot in command, the pilot obtained the required endorsement.