Definition
Describes an aircraft, engine, component, part, or modification that has not been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration through its formal certification process. Such items have not been evaluated and accepted by the FAA as meeting the airworthiness standards required for use on standard category aircraft, and their use is generally restricted to experimental, amateur-built, or other special airworthiness categories.
Plain English
Not officially approved by the FAA. The item has not gone through the FAA's testing and acceptance process, so it cannot be used on a standard certificated aircraft.
Context Anchor
Seen in engine and aircraft equipment discussions, especially when comparing standard FAA-approved aircraft parts with items used in some experimental, light-sport, or specially authorized aircraft.
Derivation
Non-' means 'not.' 'Certificated' comes from the Latin 'certificare,' meaning 'to make certain' or 'to attest formally.' In aviation, an FAA certificate is the formal attestation that something meets airworthiness standards. So 'non-FAA-certificated' simply means the FAA has not formally attested to it.
Why Pilots Care
Using non-FAA-certificated engines may restrict the aircraft to experimental category operations and affect insurance and regulatory compliance.
Intuition Check
Do not read “non-FAA-certificated” as “automatically unsafe.” It means “not approved through the FAA certification process”; whether it may be used depends on the aircraft, its approval basis, and the operating rules.
Example Sentence 1
The builder chose a non-FAA-certificated automotive-conversion engine for his experimental homebuilt because it was lighter and less expensive than a certified aircraft engine.
Example Sentence 2
Regulations prohibit non-FAA-certificated engines in aircraft operated under Part 91 for hire.