Business Aviation Terms Glossary: A-to-Z Guide for Pilots and Flight Attendants

Business Aviation Terms Glossary: A-to-Z Guide for Pilots and Flight Attendants

Business aviation has its own vocabulary, and it can be a lot to absorb whether you're a new commercial pilot exploring corporate flying for the first time or a flight department manager trying to make sense of a candidate's resume. We built this glossary as a living reference. We'll keep it updated as terms evolve. If you're researching a specific career step, check out our related guides on becoming a corporate pilot, type ratings, and Part 91 vs. Part 135 for more depth on those topics.

A

ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) Certificate — The highest level of pilot certification, required to serve as captain (PIC) at most Part 121 and many Part 135 operations. Standard requirements include being 23 years old, holding a commercial certificate and instrument rating, completing an ATP Certification Training Program (ATP-CTP), and logging 1,500 total flight hours (including 500 cross-country, 100 night, 75 instrument, and 250 PIC). A Restricted ATP (R-ATP) allows qualified military pilots (750 hours) and graduates of four-year (1,000 hours) or two-year (1,250 hours) accredited aviation programs to qualify with reduced hours.

Aircraft Management Company — A company hired by an aircraft owner to operate, staff, maintain, and sometimes charter out their airplane. Many corporate pilot and flight attendant jobs are technically employed by a management company rather than the aircraft's owner directly.

C

Charter (Part 135 Charter) — On-demand flights operated for compensation under FAA Part 135 rules, as opposed to a scheduled airline route. Charter operators must hold an Air Carrier Certificate and comply with stricter operational, training, and rest requirements than private Part 91 flying.

Commercial Pilot Certificate — The certificate that allows a pilot to be paid for flying. It's a prerequisite for most corporate flying jobs and for pursuing an ATP certificate, but on its own doesn't authorize airline-level operations.

Complex/High-Performance Aircraft — FAA terms for aircraft with retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable-pitch propeller (complex), or with more than 200 horsepower (high-performance). Some corporate turboprop and light jet positions require this endorsement as a baseline.

Contract Pilot — A pilot who works on a per-flight, per-trip, or short-term basis rather than as a W-2 employee of a single flight department, often found through a platform like BizJetJobs or a temporary staffing agency. See our upcoming guide on contract vs. direct-hire work for a deeper comparison.

Cross-Country Time — Flight time logged on a flight that includes a landing at a point more than a specified straight-line distance from the original departure point (the exact distance requirement varies by certificate type). It's a required building block for most certificates and ratings.

Currency — Shorthand for meeting the FAA's recent-experience requirements to legally act as PIC — for example, three takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days to carry passengers (14 CFR 61.57).

D

Deadhead — A repositioning flight where a crew member travels as a passenger (or in a non-operating capacity) to get to or from an aircraft, rather than flying it.

Direct Hire — Employment directly on a flight department's or company's payroll as a W-2 employee, as opposed to working as a contract or agency-placed pilot or flight attendant.

Dry Lease — An arrangement where the aircraft owner leases just the aircraft, with the lessee supplying their own crew and maintaining full operational control. Dry leases typically operate under Part 91 and don't require the lessor to hold an air carrier certificate. Compare with wet lease, below.

Duty Day — The period from when a crew member is required to report for a trip until they're released from all flight and post-flight duties. Corporate flight departments set duty-day limits internally; Part 135 operators must comply with FAA-mandated maximums.

F

FBO (Fixed Base Operator) — A business, typically based at an airport, that provides services to general aviation and business aircraft — fuel, hangar space, ground handling, and passenger amenities. Many pilots and flight attendants interact with FBO staff more than almost anyone else on a given trip.

FAR / 14 CFR — Federal Aviation Regulations, formally codified as Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations. When someone references "Part 91" or "Part 135," they're referring to a specific part of 14 CFR.

Flight Department — The internal team within a company that operates its aircraft, typically including pilots, flight attendants, schedulers/dispatchers, and maintenance personnel, reporting up through a director of aviation or chief pilot.

Fractional Ownership — A model where multiple owners each purchase a share of an aircraft (or a fleet, through a fractional provider) and receive a proportional number of flight hours per year, with the fractional company handling crewing, maintenance, and scheduling.

G

Ground School — The classroom or computer-based portion of pilot training, covering aircraft systems, regulations, and procedures, typically completed before simulator training for a type rating or initial certification.

I

IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) / Instrument Rating — Rules governing flight primarily by reference to instruments rather than visual cues, required for flying in clouds or low-visibility conditions. The instrument rating that authorizes this is a near-universal requirement for corporate flying jobs.

J

Jet Card — A prepaid charter program that lets a customer buy a block of flight hours on a fleet of aircraft without owning or fractionally owning a plane, typically at a fixed or semi-fixed hourly rate.

L

Light Jet / Midsize Jet / Super-Midsize Jet / Heavy Jet / Ultra-Long-Range (ULR) — Informal but widely used categories describing an aircraft's size, range, and cabin class, roughly from smallest to largest: light jets (e.g., Citation CJ series) typically seat 5–8 and fly shorter ranges; midsize and super-midsize jets (e.g., Citation Latitude, Challenger 350) add range and cabin space; heavy and ULR jets (e.g., Gulfstream G650, Global 7500) can fly intercontinental routes nonstop. Pilot pay, type-rating value, and job requirements generally scale with aircraft category.

Logbook — The official (paper or digital) record of a pilot's or flight attendant's flight time and experience, used to verify eligibility for certificates, ratings, and job requirements.

M

Minimums — Shorthand for the lowest weather conditions (ceiling and visibility) under which a pilot or operation is legally permitted to take off or land, which vary by pilot experience, aircraft equipment, and airport approach type.

MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) — A facility or company that performs aircraft maintenance, inspections, and repairs. MRO capacity and technician staffing are a frequent topic in business aviation industry news.

N

NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) — The leading trade association for business aviation in the U.S., known for its annual NBAA-BACE convention, compensation survey, and advocacy work. Membership and its publications are a valuable resource for both job seekers and flight departments.

O

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) — The company that designs and builds an aircraft (e.g., Gulfstream, Bombardier, Textron, Dassault, Embraer), as distinct from the operators, management companies, or MROs that service it afterward.

Operational Control — The legal authority and responsibility for initiating, conducting, and terminating a flight. Who holds operational control is the key legal distinction between a wet lease and a dry lease, and between Part 91 and Part 135 flying.

Ops Specs (Operations Specifications) — The FAA-approved document that details exactly how a Part 121 or Part 135 certificate holder is authorized to operate — aircraft, routes, weather minimums, and more. Part 91 operators are not required to hold Ops Specs.

P

Part 91 — The section of federal aviation regulations governing general and corporate aviation operations that aren't for compensation or hire. Most in-house corporate flight departments operate under Part 91. It carries fewer prescriptive requirements (e.g., no mandated crew rest rules) than Part 121 or 135, though flight departments often adopt their own internal standards that meet or exceed Part 135 practice.

Part 121 — The section governing scheduled airline and cargo operations, requiring two pilots, a dispatcher sharing operational control, and the most extensive regulatory oversight of the three.

Part 135 — The section governing on-demand charter and air taxi operations. Part 135 operators must hold an air carrier certificate, comply with FAA-mandated rest and duty-time rules, and in many cases can fly single-pilot depending on aircraft and Ops Specs.

PIC (Pilot in Command) / SIC (Second in Command) — PIC is the pilot with final legal authority and responsibility for a flight; SIC is the supporting pilot in a two-pilot crew. Many job listings specify hours or experience requirements separately for PIC and SIC time.

R

Recurrent Training — Periodic (typically annual or semiannual) training and checkride required to maintain currency and qualification in a specific aircraft type, usually completed at a dedicated training center.

Restricted ATP (R-ATP) — See ATP, above.

S

Single-Pilot Operations — Flights legally conducted with one pilot rather than a two-pilot crew, permitted for certain aircraft and operations under Part 91 and some Part 135 authorizations, depending on the aircraft's certification and the operator's Ops Specs. A designated single pilot type rating or waiver is typically needed.

T

Turboprop — An aircraft powered by a turbine engine driving a propeller, as opposed to a pure jet engine. Turboprops (e.g., King Air, Pilatus PC-12) are common entry points into corporate flying and don't always require a type rating unless they exceed 12,500 pounds.

Type Rating — An FAA certification required to act as PIC (and in some cases SIC) of a specific aircraft make and model, legally mandated for any aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight over 12,500 pounds or that's turbojet-powered. Earning one typically involves ground school, full-motion simulator training, and a checkride, and usually takes two to six weeks. See our full type rating guide for cost breakdowns.

W

W-2 vs. 1099 — The two primary U.S. tax classifications for employment: W-2 designates a traditional employee with taxes withheld by the employer, while 1099 designates an independent contractor responsible for their own tax payments, including quarterly estimated taxes. Most contract pilot and flight attendant work is 1099; most direct-hire flight department roles are W-2.

Wet Lease — An arrangement where the aircraft owner or operator provides both the aircraft and at least one crew member, and retains operational control of the flight. Wet leases typically involve a certificated air carrier. Compare with dry lease, above.

Ready to put these terms into practice? Browse current corporate pilot and flight attendant openings on BizJetJobs, or check out our guide to how to become a corporate pilot for the full career roadmap.