Definition
An Airplane Flight Manual that has been formally accepted by the FAA (or equivalent civil aviation authority) as the official document containing the operating limitations, procedures, performance data, and weight and balance information for a specific aircraft by serial number. The approved AFM is required to be on board the aircraft and is the legally binding source for that aircraft's operating limits.
Plain English
The official manual for a specific aircraft, signed off by the FAA, that tells the pilot how to operate it and what its limits are. It must be in the aircraft when it flies, and what it says is legally binding.
Context Anchor
Seen when checking aircraft loading, weight-and-balance information, operating limits, and performance data before flight.
Derivation
"Approved" here means formally accepted by the FAA, not just "looked over and okayed." An AFM becomes the approved AFM only after the manufacturer's document has been reviewed and accepted as part of the aircraft's certification.
Why Pilots Care
Weight and balance data taken from any source other than the approved AFM may violate regulations and produce unsafe flight conditions.
Intuition Check
Approved does not mean “popular,” “suggested,” or “probably okay.” Here it means officially accepted for use as controlling information for that aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
Before loading the aircraft, the pilot checked the approved AFM to confirm the maximum takeoff weight for that serial number.
Example Sentence 2
All weight and balance computations for the flight were taken directly from the approved AFM as required.