Definition
The principal physical sites from which the Federal Aviation Administration conducts its work. The FAA's headquarters is in Washington, DC, and its main technical and training center is the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, supports research, testing, and evaluation of air traffic and aviation systems.
Plain English
The main places where the FAA is based. Its head office is in Washington, DC. Its main training and technical site is in Oklahoma City. Its main research and testing site is in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Context Anchor
Seen in Chapter 1 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge when the FAA’s role and organization are being introduced.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots may need to contact or understand these sites for certification records, medical certification, or official regulatory matters.
Intuition Check
Do not read “locations” here as places where aircraft are based or where pilots fly. In this context, it means the FAA’s main organizational work sites.
Example Sentence 1
When the student asked where her pilot certificate records were kept, her instructor explained that airman records are held at one of the FAA's primary locations, the Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City.
Example Sentence 2
Policy decisions affecting all pilots originate at the primary locations of the FAA in Washington.