Definition
A document, prepared by the aircraft manufacturer and approved by the certifying authority, that contains the operating limitations, procedures, performance data, and other information a pilot must follow to operate a specific aircraft safely and legally. For aircraft type-certificated after March 1979, this document is the FAA-Approved Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) and is required to be carried aboard the aircraft.
Plain English
The official handbook for a specific aircraft, written by the manufacturer and approved by the FAA. It tells the pilot how to fly that aircraft and what its limits are.
Context Anchor
You will see this term in aircraft paperwork, preflight planning, training, checkrides, and discussions of required documents for an aircraft.
Derivation
“Flight” means the act of flying. “Manual” comes from a Latin word meaning “hand,” and came to mean a small handbook meant to be kept close and used directly. In aviation, a Flight Manual is the handbook a pilot uses to operate a particular aircraft correctly.
Why Pilots Care
Federal regulations require pilots to operate within the limitations and follow the procedures listed in the Flight Manual; deviations can affect airworthiness or legal compliance.
Intuition Check
Do not read “Flight Manual” as a general book about learning to fly. Here it means the official operating book for a particular aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
Before departure, the pilot pulled the Flight Manual from the seat pocket and confirmed the maximum takeoff weight for the day's load.
Example Sentence 2
During the engine failure drill the crew opened the Flight Manual to the emergency procedures section.