Definition
The AFM/POH is the manufacturer-produced document that contains the operating limitations, procedures, performance data, and systems descriptions specific to a particular airplane. The Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) is the FAA-approved document required to be carried in the aircraft for most certificated airplanes. The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) is the manufacturer's expanded version of that information, organized in a standard format and intended for pilot use. For many modern airplanes the POH and AFM are combined into a single document, with the FAA-approved sections clearly marked.
Plain English
The official book for a specific airplane. It tells the pilot how to operate that airplane safely — what its limits are, how to start it, how to handle emergencies, and how it will perform under different conditions. Every airplane has its own.
Context Anchor
You use the AFM/POH during preflight planning, performance checks, systems study, and any time you need the approved procedures or limits for the airplane you are flying.
Why Pilots Care
Regulations require pilots to know and follow the limitations and procedures in the AFM or POH for the aircraft they are flying; operating outside those limits can cause loss of control or regulatory violations.
Analogy
It is like the airplane’s official owner’s manual, but with safety-critical operating limits and procedures that a pilot is expected to follow.
Intuition Check
Do not assume AFM and POH always mean two separate books. In many airplanes, the approved flight manual information is presented in one combined AFM/POH.
Example Sentence 1
Before the cross-country flight, the student pilot opened the POH to calculate takeoff distance for the airport's elevation and temperature.
Example Sentence 2
After an engine failure on takeoff, the pilot opened the AFM/POH to the emergency checklist and followed the steps in order.