Definition
Official endorsements added to a pilot certificate that authorize the holder to exercise specific privileges, such as operating particular categories or classes of aircraft (e.g., airplane single-engine land), flying under instrument flight rules, or instructing other pilots. Each rating is issued by the FAA after the pilot meets defined training, experience, and testing requirements.
Plain English
Ratings are the specific permissions written on your pilot certificate that say what you are allowed to fly and how you are allowed to fly it. You earn each one by completing the required training and passing the required tests.
Context Anchor
Seen when discussing pilot certificates, flight training requirements, and what a pilot is legally allowed to operate.
Derivation
From the verb 'rate,' meaning to assign a level or grade. In aviation, a rating 'rates' you as qualified for a particular kind of flying.
Why Pilots Care
A pilot must hold the correct rating to operate an aircraft or fly under certain conditions legally; missing ratings can ground a pilot or create safety risks.
Analogy
Like a regular driver's license versus one with extra endorsements that let you drive trucks or buses.
Intuition Check
Ratings does not mean reviews, popularity scores, or how good someone thinks a pilot is. In FAA use, ratings are official qualifications attached to a pilot certificate.
Example Sentence 1
After passing his checkride, he added an instrument rating to his private pilot certificate.
Example Sentence 2
Earning a multi-engine rating let him operate airplanes with two engines for the first time.