FAR 21.211 — Provisional Airworthiness Certificates

FAR 21.211 is the applicability statement for Subpart I of Part 21. It tells you what the rest of this subpart is about: the procedural requirements for issuing provisional airworthiness certificates.

In plain terms:

• This section doesn't list any pilot duties or aircraft limitations on its own.
• It simply scopes the subpart, letting manufacturers, applicants, and the FAA know that the rules that follow govern how a provisional airworthiness certificate is applied for and issued.
• A provisional airworthiness certificate is a special, limited certificate used during certain stages of aircraft type certification, before a standard airworthiness certificate is available.

Why it matters operationally: As a pilot student, you won't fly under a provisional certificate day-to-day, but understanding Part 21's structure helps you locate the right rule when questions about certification, airworthiness categories, or special operations come up on your written test or checkride.