Plain English Meaning

An aircraft whose engine is a jet-type turbine engine. The turbine either pushes the aircraft forward with its exhaust (turbojet) or spins a propeller (turboprop). Either way, the engine is a turbine, not a piston engine, and that matters for how the aircraft must be inspected.

Full Definition

Describes an aircraft powered by a turbine (jet) engine — either a turbojet, which produces thrust directly from a high-velocity exhaust stream, or a turbopropeller (turboprop), which uses a turbine engine to drive a propeller through a reduction gearbox. In FAA inspection regulations, turbojet/turbopropeller-powered aircraft are treated as a distinct category subject to and inspection requirements that differ from those for -powered aircraft.