Explainer
What Is an FCOM? Flight Crew Operating Manual
The Definition
FCOM Means Flight Crew Operating Manual
The Flight Crew Operating Manual is written by the aircraft manufacturer for the people who fly the aircraft. The FAA's advisory circular on the airplane flight manual describes it as a document that explains in detail the characteristics and operation of the airplane or its systems, and notes that many manufacturers developed separate operating manuals for the flightcrew as aircraft grew more complex.
The reason is practical. The approved flight manual has to stay small and precise, because it carries the legal limitations. The same circular says that by putting checklists, systems descriptions and detailed procedures in the FCOM, the bulk of the flight manual can be kept manageable. The FCOM is where that detail lives.
It sits on a shelf with the AFM, the QRH and the MEL. Our overview of the flight operations library shows how the whole shelf fits together.
Contents
What Is Inside an FCOM
Layout and naming differ between manufacturers, but an FCOM generally covers four things:
- Systems descriptions. How each aircraft system works, in the depth a crew needs to understand a failure.
- Limitations. Restated from the approved flight manual for convenience. The flight manual remains the authority.
- Normal procedures. Checklists and techniques for routine operation, from preflight to shutdown.
- Non-normal procedures. What to do when something fails. The time-critical subset is extracted into the Quick Reference Handbook.
Many manufacturers also publish a companion for flying technique and best practice, often called a Flight Crew Techniques Manual or Flight Crew Training Manual. The name varies, and it is guidance rather than procedure.
Authority
FCOM vs AFM vs QRH
The AFM is the approved document. For transport category airplanes, 14 CFR 25.1581 requires the approved parts of the flight manual to be segregated, identified and clearly distinguished from the unapproved parts. An FCOM is a separate manufacturer publication and does not carry that approval on its own. Our guide to the AFM and QRH covers what is approved and what is not.
The QRH is the extract. It puts the abnormal and emergency checklists in a form a crew can use in the seat. If the FCOM changes, the QRH has to change with it, which is why the two are usually revised together.
The MEL is the operator's. It says what may be inoperative at dispatch. See our explainer on the minimum equipment list.
The Operator
From FCOM to the Operations Manual
An airline does not hand crews the manufacturer's FCOM and stop there. Regulators require the operator to have its own manual. Under 14 CFR 121.133, each Part 121 certificate holder must prepare and keep current a manual for flight, ground operations and management personnel. Section 135.21 sets a comparable requirement for Part 135 operators, subject to its limited-operation exception. In Europe, ORO.MLR.100 of Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 requires the operator to establish an operations manual, give personnel easy access to the parts relevant to their duties, keep it up to date, and make sure information taken from approved documents is correctly reflected in it.
In practice, the manufacturer's FCOM is the source and the operator's manual is the adaptation. The operator may change procedures to suit its operation, but a Part 121 operator that carries its own manual in place of the flight manual may revise the operating procedures only if the Administrator approves the changes and they are clearly identified (14 CFR 121.141(b)).
Revisions
How FCOM Revisions Reach the Cockpit
The manufacturer issues revisions to its FCOM. The operator reviews each one, decides how it applies to its fleet and procedures, updates its operations manual, and distributes the change to crews. The regulations put the burden on the operator at the end of that chain: 14 CFR 121.135 requires the date of last revision to be visible on every page, and 121.137 requires holders to keep their copy up to date with the changes furnished to them.
That is a document control problem as much as a writing problem. Revision currency across every cockpit is the same discipline our guide to service bulletin currency describes for the hangar, and the manuals themselves are explained in our map of aircraft manual types. For how manufacturers license this data to operators, see where aircraft manuals come from.
FAQ
Questions We Hear
What does FCOM stand for in aviation?
FCOM stands for Flight Crew Operating Manual. Some manufacturers and regulators write it as Flightcrew Operating Manual; it is the same document, and in aviation it always means the pilots' operating manual for a specific aircraft type, not the unrelated FCOM of other fields. The FAA's advisory circular on the airplane flight manual defines it as a document developed by a manufacturer that describes, in detail, the characteristics and operation of the airplane or its systems.
Is the FCOM the same as the AFM?
No. The Airplane Flight Manual is the document approved by the regulator with the aircraft's type certificate, and it carries the limitations. The FCOM is the manufacturer's much more detailed operating manual. Under 14 CFR 25.1581, the approved parts of an AFM must be segregated and identified; an FCOM is not part of that approval. Where an operator uses its own manual in place of the AFM, 14 CFR 121.141(b) requires the flight manual content in it to be clearly identified as such.
Who writes the FCOM?
The aircraft manufacturer. The operator then builds its own operations manual from it, adapting procedures to its routes, equipment and policies within the limits the approved flight manual and its regulator allow. The operator owns that adapted manual and is responsible for keeping it current.
What is the difference between the FCOM and the QRH?
The FCOM is the full reference: systems, limitations and procedures. The QRH, the Quick Reference Handbook, is the short extract crews use in the seat when something goes wrong, mainly non-normal and emergency checklists. The QRH has to stay in step with the FCOM it comes from. We cover the QRH in our guide to the AFM and QRH.
Do small operators need an FCOM?
It depends on the aircraft and the operation. A manufacturer of a smaller aircraft may deliver only a flight manual or pilot's operating handbook. Part 135 operators must keep a manual of procedures and policies (14 CFR 135.21), and the Administrator may authorize deviations for very limited operations. Ask your regulator or the aircraft manufacturer what applies to your type.
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