Definition
The specific operating limitations, requirements, and conditions under which an aircraft's Airworthiness Certificate remains valid. These include compliance with applicable airworthiness directives, performance of required inspections and maintenance, operation within the aircraft's approved category and limitations, and registration in the name of the current owner.
Plain English
The set of rules an aircraft and its owner must keep meeting for the Airworthiness Certificate to stay in force. If those rules are not met, the certificate stops being valid even though the paper is still in the aircraft.
Context Anchor
Seen on or discussed with the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate during aircraft document checks, inspections, purchases, and rental checkouts.
Derivation
Terms comes from an old word meaning a limit or boundary. Conditions comes from a word meaning an agreed state or requirement. Together, Terms and Conditions means the limits and requirements that must be met for something to remain valid.
Why Pilots Care
Operating outside these requirements can render the aircraft unairworthy and expose the pilot to regulatory violations.
Intuition Check
Do not read Terms and Conditions here as website fine print or optional wording. In this FAA context, it means the binding requirements that determine whether the airworthiness certificate is still valid.
Example Sentence 1
The Airworthiness Certificate remains valid only as long as the aircraft meets the terms and conditions listed on it, including all required inspections.
Example Sentence 2
Any change to the aircraft's configuration required review against the terms and conditions to keep the certificate valid.