Definition
The person or entity who holds title to an aircraft (owner) and/or who has the authority and responsibility for its operation and use (operator). Under FAA regulations, the owner/operator is responsible for ensuring the aircraft is maintained in an airworthy condition, that required inspections are current, and that maintenance records are properly kept. The owner and operator may be the same person, or they may be different parties (for example, an aircraft owned by one person but leased and operated by another).
Plain English
The person who owns the aircraft and/or the person responsible for flying and looking after it. They are legally on the hook for keeping it airworthy and its paperwork in order.
Context Anchor
Seen in preflight and maintenance discussions when identifying who is responsible for the aircraft’s condition before flight.
Derivation
Owner comes from the idea of possessing something. Operator comes from operate, meaning to work or run something. The slash shows that the responsible party may be the owner, the operator, or the same person acting as both.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must know who the owner/operator is because that party is accountable for the aircraft's maintenance records and overall safety readiness.
Intuition Check
Do not assume owner/operator always means the person flying the airplane right now. In this context, it means the person or organization legally responsible for the aircraft’s upkeep, which may be an individual owner, a flight school, a rental company, or another operator.
Example Sentence 1
As the owner/operator, she was responsible for making sure the annual inspection was completed before the airplane returned to service.
Example Sentence 2
Under FAA rules, the owner/operator is required to keep the aircraft in an airworthy condition.