Definition
The pilot who has final authority and responsibility for the operation and safety of a flight. The PIC has been designated as such before or during the flight, holds the appropriate category, class, and type rating (if required) for the aircraft, and is the person legally accountable for the conduct of the flight under 14 CFR 91.3.
Plain English
The pilot who is in charge of the flight. They make the final decisions about how the flight is flown and are legally responsible for everything that happens during it.
Context Anchor
You will see PIC used in flight training, logbook discussions, preflight planning, crew briefings, and FAA rules about who is responsible for a flight.
Derivation
Plain English phrase. 'Command' comes from Latin commandare, meaning to entrust or order. The phrase emphasizes that one specific pilot is entrusted with full authority over the flight, even if other pilots are on board.
Why Pilots Care
The PIC is legally accountable for every decision and outcome during the flight, even if someone else is flying the aircraft.
Intuition Check
PIC does not automatically mean “the pilot touching the controls.” PIC means “the pilot with final responsibility and authority for the flight.”
Example Sentence 1
As the pilot in command, she made the decision to divert to an alternate airport when the weather at the destination dropped below minimums.
Example Sentence 2
Although the flight instructor demonstrated the landing, the student remained the designated PIC for the lesson.