Definition
A document, prepared by the airplane manufacturer and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, that contains the operating limitations, procedures, performance data, and other information required for the safe operation of a specific airplane. It is the controlling reference for how that airplane must be operated and is required to be available to the pilot during flight.
Plain English
The official manual for a specific airplane, written by the manufacturer and signed off by the FAA, that tells the pilot how to operate it safely and what its limits are. It must be on board when flying.
Context Anchor
You will see this term when learning the required documents and operating information for a specific airplane, especially before flying an airplane you have not flown before.
Derivation
The phrase 'FAA-approved' signals that this is not just a manufacturer's handbook -- the FAA has formally accepted its contents as the operating authority for that aircraft. That approval is what gives the manual its legal weight.
Why Pilots Care
It supplies the legally binding limits and procedures that must be followed; operating outside these limits can make a flight illegal or unsafe.
Analogy
Think of it like an owner’s manual for a car, but with legal force for the airplane. It is not just helpful reading; it is the official source for that airplane’s limits and procedures.
Intuition Check
Do not read “approved” as “generally recommended.” Here it means officially accepted by the FAA for that airplane, and the required limits and procedures must be followed.
Example Sentence 1
Before takeoff, the pilot checked the FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual to confirm the maximum allowable crosswind component for the runway in use.
Example Sentence 2
Before every flight the crew verifies that the FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual is aboard and current for their aircraft.