Definition
An aircraft-specific operating manual whose contents have been reviewed and accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration as the official source of operating limitations, procedures, and performance data for that aircraft. For aircraft certificated after March 1, 1979, an FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) is required and must be carried on board during flight. Information designated as FAA-approved within the manual cannot be altered, ignored, or substituted by the pilot or operator.
Plain English
It is the official handbook for a specific aircraft that the FAA has signed off on. The numbers, limits, and procedures inside it are legally binding, and the pilot must follow them.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter this term when using the Airplane Flight Manual or Pilot’s Operating Handbook before flight, during training, and when checking aircraft limits or performance.
Derivation
"Approved" here carries a regulatory weight beyond the everyday sense. When the FAA "approves" a manual or a section of it, the agency has formally accepted the content as meeting certification standards, which makes it enforceable under the regulations.
Why Pilots Care
Using the FAA-approved version is required by regulation; operating without it or with an unapproved substitute can render the aircraft unairworthy and expose the pilot to enforcement action.
Intuition Check
Do not read “approved” as meaning merely “recommended” or “preferred.” Here it means the FAA has formally accepted the manual, or the required parts of it, as the controlling information for operating that aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
Before takeoff, the pilot confirmed the FAA-approved flight manual was on board, as required for aircraft certificated after March 1, 1979.
Example Sentence 2
During the preflight briefing, the instructor referred to the FAA-approved flight manual for the correct engine failure after takeoff procedure.