Definition
A memory aid used by pilots to recall the documents that must be aboard a civil aircraft during flight: Airworthiness certificate, Registration certificate, Radio station license (required for international operations), Operating limitations (including the Pilot's Operating Handbook or approved flight manual and placards), and Weight and balance data. Note: this acronym is also commonly written as ARROW; Crane's dictionary lists it as AROW or A.R.O.W., reflecting the version that omits the radio station license for purely domestic U.S. flights.
Plain English
A simple word pilots use to remember the paperwork that has to be in the airplane every time they fly.
Context Anchor
Used during preflight planning, aircraft inspections, checkrides, and discussions of required aircraft documents.
Derivation
The word is built from the first letters of each required document. It is spelled to look like 'arrow' so it is easy to remember. The variant AROW drops the second R because the radio station license is not required for flights that stay inside the United States.
Why Pilots Care
Flying without these documents can result in FAA violations or grounding of the aircraft.
Intuition Check
Arow is not an arrow or a direction marker. In aviation, it is a memory aid for required aircraft documents.
Example Sentence 1
Before her checkride, she ran through AROW to make sure all the required documents were in the airplane.
Example Sentence 2
During the oral exam, the examiner asked what AROW stands for in aviation.