The FAA deliberately uses "certificated" as opposed to "certified" when referring to pilots and flight instructors. It insists that conveys a distinct and usef

The FAA deliberately uses "certificated" as opposed to "certified" when referring to pilots and flight instructors. It insists that conveys a distinct and useful meaning because they don't certify pilot quality. Instead, the pilot has been issued a certificate confirming that they passed a test to a particular minimum standard. The reason for the difference is to convey that there is no assurance or guarantee that the pilot consistently and continuously meets this standard. Unlike with a "certified used car", the FAA is not going to be held responsible if your pilot crashes your plane. Reference: I am an FAA-certificated Flight Instructor and Commercial Pilot. [Edit: typo, thank you lkschubert8]