Private pilots are permitted to operate any aircraft for which they have received the necessary certification. Successful training in a given category and class rating of aircraft is referred to be “appropriately rated.” A “category” is something like “airplane” or “helicopter,” but a “class rating” is something like “single-engine land,” which means the plane only has one engine and can only fly on land rather than on water. So, after earning your Private Pilot Certificate with a rating of “airplane, single-engine land,” even if you trained in a Cessna 172, you can fly as pilot-in-command (PIC) in any single-engine land airplane, such as a Piper Archer. As pilot-in-command, you have final authority and responsibility for the aircraft’s operation as well as the flight’s safety. Some aircraft, such as tailwheel or high-performance aircraft, may require additional authority to function as PIC, known as acquiring an endorsement.