Definition
Internal FAA directives that prescribe policy, assign responsibilities, or establish procedures for FAA personnel and the activities they oversee. Orders are numbered, dated, and remain in effect until cancelled or superseded.
Plain English
Official written instructions issued by the FAA telling its own people how to do their jobs and how to apply the rules. They stay in force until the FAA changes or removes them.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA handbooks and government-related discussions about where aviation rules, guidance, and procedures come from.
Derivation
From the Latin 'ordo' meaning arrangement or rank. In a government setting, an order is a formally arranged instruction issued by an authority — which fits the FAA's use of the word for its numbered, structured directives.
Why Pilots Care
Orders are how the FAA tells its inspectors, controllers, and examiners to apply the regulations. Even though orders are aimed at FAA staff, they shape how checkrides are conducted, how violations are handled, and how procedures are enforced — so they affect pilots indirectly but significantly.
Intuition Check
Do not read orders here as casual requests, food orders, or purchase orders. In this context, orders means official written directions from an authority, often the FAA.
Example Sentence 1
The inspector referenced an FAA order when explaining how the certification process would be carried out.
Example Sentence 2
Compliance with current orders is verified during FAA evaluations of training programs.