The Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) is the manufacturer’s technical manual for a specific aircraft, covering operating limits, emergency and normal checklists, performance data, systems descriptions, and weight and balance. For most light aircraft built after 1975, it also serves as the FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual, which makes it both a working reference and a legal document that must be on board during flight.
POH, AFM, and PIM Are Not the Same Document
Three manuals circulate in general aviation, and mixing them up creates real regulatory problems.
The Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) is developed by the manufacturer and approved by the FAA. It carries the mandatory operating limitations and procedures a pilot must follow. The POH wraps that FAA-approved content inside a broader package of performance charts, systems descriptions, and operational guidance. When a POH functions as the approved flight manual, its title page states which sections carry FAA approval.1Federal Aviation Administration. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge – Chapter 9: Flight Manuals and Other Documents
The third document is the one that causes trouble. An aircraft owner’s manual or Pilot Information Manual (PIM) describes a make and model in general terms. It is not FAA-approved, not tailored to a specific airframe, and not kept current. It cannot substitute for the AFM or POH. If a used airplane comes with a generic information manual in the seat pocket instead of a serial-number-specific POH, that aircraft does not meet its documentation requirements for flight.1Federal Aviation Administration. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge – Chapter 9: Flight Manuals and Other Documents
What the FAA Requires You to Have on Board
Under 14 CFR 91.9, no person may operate a civil aircraft without complying with the operating limitations in the approved flight manual, markings, and placards. For any U.S.-registered aircraft that requires an AFM under 14 CFR 21.5, a current approved manual must be available in the aircraft during operations.2eCFR. 14 CFR 91.9 – Civil Aircraft Flight Manual, Marking, and Placard Requirements The requirement applies to all aircraft delivered without flight time after March 1, 1979, and to older aircraft type-certificated with a flight manual.3eCFR. 14 CFR 21.5 – Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual
An FAA ramp inspection that turns up a missing or wrong manual can lead to enforcement action ranging from a letter of correction to civil penalties or certificate suspension. The manual is a legally binding extension of the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate.
The Serial Number Has to Match
A POH matching your aircraft’s make and model but not its serial number does not satisfy the requirement. Manufacturers print the aircraft’s registration and serial number on the title page, and that linkage is the point. Even identical-looking airplanes off the same line differ in installed equipment, empty weight, and center-of-gravity location. A manual that does not reference a specific aircraft registration and serial number is limited to general study and cannot replace the required document.1Federal Aviation Administration. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge – Chapter 9: Flight Manuals and Other Documents
Carrying the POH on an Electronic Flight Bag
Paper is not required. Under Advisory Circular 91-78A, an Electronic Flight Bag may replace paper reference material during all phases of flight if four conditions are met:4Federal Aviation Administration. Advisory Circular 91-78A – Use of Electronic Flight Bags
- The EFB does not substitute for any required navigation, communication, or surveillance equipment.
- The information displayed matches the paper manual.
- The pilot verifies the information is current and valid.
- The device complies with 14 CFR 91.21 and does not interfere with aircraft systems.
Part 91 operators do not need a formal operational approval; the decision rests with the operator and the pilot in command. The AC does not require a backup power source or a second device, but a dead tablet in flight still leaves you without the operating limitations, so many pilots keep at least a printed copy of the limitations section as a fallback.
The Nine Standardized Sections
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association standardized POH layout through GAMA Specification No. 1, so a pilot who learns the format for one aircraft can find the same type of information in the same place in any post-1975 handbook.5General Aviation Manufacturers Association. GAMA and Industry Technical Publications and Specifications A typical POH contains nine sections in a fixed order, with some manufacturers adding an optional tenth section on safety and operational tips such as high-altitude physiology or cold-weather starting.1Federal Aviation Administration. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge – Chapter 9: Flight Manuals and Other Documents
Section 1: General
Foundational descriptions of the aircraft: dimensions, engine type, propeller specifications, and definitions of the terminology used elsewhere in the manual. This section establishes the vocabulary for everything that follows.
Section 2: Limitations
The legally enforceable boundaries. Section 2 defines the certified airspeeds, maximum engine temperatures and pressures, approved fuel grades, and weight limits. V-speeds such as VNE (never-exceed) and VNO (maximum structural cruising) set hard ceilings that protect the airframe. These limitations must also appear in the cockpit as instrument markings and placards. Federal certification standards require every airplane to conspicuously display any placard or marking necessary for operation, and manufacturers must include that placard information in the flight manual.6eCFR. 14 CFR 23.2610 – Instrument Markings, Control Markings, and Placards The colored arcs on the airspeed indicator, the red line on the tachometer, and the fuel-grade placard by the filler cap all come from here.
Section 3: Emergency Procedures
Checklists for engine failure after takeoff, in-flight fire, electrical malfunctions, emergency landings, and similar situations. Certain steps appear in boldface: these are immediate-action items the manufacturer expects pilots to memorize and execute from recall, because the situation will not allow time to open the book. Once the boldface actions are complete and the aircraft is stable, the pilot retrieves the checklist to verify and finish the remaining steps.
Section 4: Normal Procedures
Procedures in the chronological order of a flight: preflight inspection, engine start, taxi, run-up, takeoff, cruise, descent, approach, landing, and shutdown. Following the sequences prevents configuration errors such as taking off with landing trim set or the fuel selector on an empty tank.
Section 5: Performance
Charts and tables that let you calculate takeoff distance, rate of climb, cruise speed, fuel burn, range, and landing distance based on temperature, altitude, and aircraft weight. A runway that works on a cool morning at sea level can be dangerously short on a hot afternoon at a mountain airport, and these charts show it. Fuel consumption tables drive route planning by showing burn rates at different power settings and altitudes. Published figures assume test conditions and a well-maintained aircraft; worn engines, gusty crosswinds, and soft surfaces all degrade real-world numbers.
Section 6: Weight and Balance / Equipment List
The most individualized part of the handbook. Section 6 records the licensed empty weight and center-of-gravity position for one specific airframe, identified by serial number, because paint, upholstery, and optional equipment vary between aircraft of the same model. When a mechanic installs new avionics, removes a seat, or swaps an engine, Section 6 has to be updated. Pilots use these figures before every flight to check that passengers, baggage, and fuel fit within the approved envelope.
The equipment list also matters when something breaks. Under 14 CFR 91.213(d), if you find an inoperative instrument or piece of equipment before departure, you can still fly provided the broken item is not required by the aircraft’s type design, is not on the equipment list as required for your kind of operation, is not mandated by regulation or airworthiness directive, and does not create a safety hazard. The item must be removed or deactivated and placarded “Inoperative,” with the action recorded in the maintenance logs.7eCFR. 14 CFR 91.213 – Inoperative Instruments and Equipment If the item is required, the aircraft is grounded until it is repaired.
Section 7: Systems Description
Narrative descriptions and diagrams of the fuel system, electrical system, flight controls, landing gear, heating and ventilation, and avionics. When a fuel pressure gauge drops unexpectedly, knowing how the fuel system is plumbed tells you whether switching tanks might help or whether a pump has failed and a diversion is in order. Diagrams show how the yoke connects to the ailerons and elevator, which equipment sits on each electrical bus, and how the pitot-static system feeds the airspeed indicator and altimeter.
Section 8: Handling, Service, and Maintenance
Ground-side care of the aircraft: towing and parking, tiedown requirements, jacking points, and leveling instructions. Section 8 also specifies approved oil types and viscosity grades for different temperature ranges, correct fuel grades, tire pressures, and brake fluid specifications, along with cleaning guidance for windshields, painted surfaces, and avionics displays.1Federal Aviation Administration. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge – Chapter 9: Flight Manuals and Other Documents It outlines inspection requirements, references the preventive maintenance a pilot may perform under 14 CFR Part 43, and lists documents that must be carried aboard, such as the airworthiness certificate and registration.
Section 9: Supplements
Supplements for optional or aftermarket equipment that was not part of the aircraft’s standard configuration. When a shop installs an autopilot, a GPS navigator, or an air-conditioning system, the equipment manufacturer provides a supplement that goes into Section 9. Supplements may impose new operating limitations, modified emergency procedures, or additional weight-and-balance data that supersede or add to earlier sections.1Federal Aviation Administration. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge – Chapter 9: Flight Manuals and Other Documents
A GPS installed under a Supplemental Type Certificate may carry new approach limitations or require specific software versions. An aftermarket engine modification might change approved power settings or oil specifications. From an airworthiness standpoint, every supplement is a mandatory extension of the base manual.