Definition
The Approved Flight Manual is the FAA-approved document, specific to an individual aircraft by make, model, and serial number, that contains the operating limitations, procedures, performance data, and other information the pilot must follow to operate that aircraft legally and safely. Its contents are mandated by the certification regulations under which the aircraft was approved, and the manual must be carried aboard the aircraft when it is flown.
Plain English
It's the official rulebook for one specific aircraft, written and approved by the FAA. It tells the pilot how the aircraft must be flown, what it can and can't do, and what limits must be respected. A copy has to be in the aircraft during flight.
Context Anchor
Pilots use the AFM during aircraft checkout, preflight planning, weight and balance work, performance planning, and when reviewing normal or emergency procedures.
Derivation
"Approved" here means formally accepted by the FAA — not simply "okay" in a casual sense. The word signals that the contents have legal force: the limits and procedures inside are binding, not advisory.
Why Pilots Care
The AFM supplies the legally binding limitations and procedures that keep the aircraft airworthy; operating outside its guidance can render a flight illegal and unsafe.
Intuition Check
“Approved” does not just mean recommended or generally trusted here. It means accepted by the aviation authority as the controlling manual information for that aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
Before the cross-country flight, she opened the AFM to confirm the maximum takeoff weight and the crosswind component her aircraft was approved for.
Example Sentence 2
According to the AFM, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component for this airplane is 15 knots.