Glossary of Aviation Terms | FAR

FAR | Paramount Business Jets

The Federal Aviation Regulations, or FARs, are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and govern all aspects of aviation activities within the United States. The FARs are part of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and are adhered to by all pilots, operators, and air carriers operating within the United States.

A wide variety of activities are regulated by the FARs, such as airplane design, typical airline flights, pilot training activities, hot-air ballooning, lighter than aircraft, man-made structure heights, obstruction lighting and marking, and even model rocket launches and model aircraft operation. The rules are intended to promote aviation safety, protect pilots, passengers, and the general public from any unnecessary risk. The FARs are also designed to protect the national security of the United States.

The FARs are organized into sections, called parts, due to their organization within the CFR. Each part deals with a specific type of activity. For example, 14 CFR Part 141 contains rules for pilot training schools. Many FARs were implemented to regulate certification of pilots, schools, or aircraft rather than the operation of aircraft. Therefore, once an airplane design is certified using some parts of the regulations, it will still be certified even if the regulations change in the future.