Are the Pilot’s Operating Handbook and Airplane Flight Manual the Same?

Aviation community uses the terms interchangeably, but the FAA says they are different.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

According to the FAA, the AFM is the legally required document for a particular aircraft, while a Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) is usually a more general, standardized document for that type of aircraft. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) is the legally required, aircraft-specific document that must be on board, while a Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) is typically a more general document for the aircraft type.
A POH can only serve as the required document if it is a copy of the approved AFM specific to that particular aircraft, including its serial number.
AFMs often contain supplementary operating limitations unique to an individual aircraft that may not be part of a generic POH.
Both the POH and AFM are permitted to be carried in a digital format, not just hard copy.

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Question: Is there a difference between a pilot’s operating handbook (POH) and airplane flight manual (AFM)? I hear the terms being used interchangeably.

Answer: According to the FAA, the AFM is the legally required document for a particular aircraft, while a POH is usually a more general, standardized document for that type of aircraft.

Regulations require that a “current and approved Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) be on board the aircraft.”