Definition 1 of 2
Definition
A general aviation aircraft fitted with an integrated suite of advanced cockpit avionics that goes beyond traditional analog instruments. Under current FAA criteria, a Technically Advanced Aircraft has an IFR-certified GPS navigator with a moving map, a multifunction display, and a two-axis autopilot integrated with the navigation system. The term distinguishes these aircraft from conventionally instrumented aircraft for the purposes of training, currency, and certain certification requirements.
Plain English
A small aircraft with modern computerized cockpit screens and an autopilot, instead of just the older round dial instruments.
Context Anchor
You will see this term in training requirements, aircraft checkout discussions, logbook planning, and FAA rules about what kind of aircraft may be used for certain training or practical test tasks.
Derivation
The phrase is plain English. 'Technically advanced' simply signals that the aircraft's technology is beyond the conventional baseline. The term came into formal use in the early 2000s as glass cockpits and integrated GPS spread into the general aviation fleet.
Why Pilots Care
Determines eligibility for certain reduced training hour allowances and requires pilots to master system integration to maintain safe cockpit resource management.
Intuition Check
Do not read “technically advanced” as simply “new,” “expensive,” or “hard to fly.” In aviation use, it means the aircraft has certain advanced cockpit electronics, especially electronic displays, GPS mapping, and autopilot capability.
Example Sentence 1
Part of his commercial pilot training had to be completed in a technically advanced aircraft, so he booked time in the school's glass-cockpit Cessna 172.
Example Sentence 2
Preflight checks on a technically advanced aircraft include verifying that the moving map database is current before departure.