FAR/AIM: General Information

• Explanation of Changes
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) Code of Federal Regulations and Advisory Circulars
• Subscription Information
• Flight Information Publication Policy

 

Effective: March 21, 2024

1. 1-1-17. GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM This change aligns the AIM with Flight Standards B036 issuance policy that two GPS receivers are considered independent systems for extended overwater operations.
2. 2-3-8. MANDATORY INSTRUCTION SIGNS This change addresses a change to the mandatory instruction sign to include the departure runway information in the sign legend. The sign for holding positions protecting both the approach area of a runway end and the departure area for the opposite runway end will now display “DEP" in addition to “APCH" (e.g., 15 APCH - 33 DEP). Holding positions signs on taxiways that traverse the approach area but not the departure area (e.g., displaced threshold) will continue to display just the APCH legend. This change does not address changes to the hold line marking or implement conditional holding for protection of approach/departure areas.
3. 4-3-20. STANDARD TAXI ROUTES This change adds a paragraph to Chapter 4, Air Traffic Control, Section 3, Airport Operations, of the AIM, to provide guidance to pilots about Standard Taxi Routes (STRs). This new paragraph will support the implementation of a new directive, FAA Order JO 7110.664, Standard Taxi Routes. All subsequent paragraphs will be renumbered.
4. 7-1-3. USE OF AVIATION PRODUCTS
   7-1-4. GRAPHICAL FORECASTS FOR AVIATION WEATHER (GFA)
   7-1-11. WEATHER RADAR SERVICES
   7-1-18. PILOT WEATHER REPORTS (PIREPS) This change updates the references to AC 00-45 to the Aviation Weather Handbook, FAA-H-8083-28.
5. 7-1-5. PREFLIGHT BRIEFING This change updates the subparagraph to use true north rather than magnetic north.
6. 7-6-4. OBSTRUCTIONS TO FLIGHT This change provides pilots guidance on the distinctive hazards when flying near wind turbines and their unique marking and lighting. Additionally, other updates were made to improve the readability of the paragraphs addressing other obstruction types.
7. 9-1-4. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF EACH CHART SERIES As a result of the Chart Supplement Modernization Initiative, the Chart Supplement U.S. descriptions were revised and expanded creating Chart Supplement, Chart Supplement Alaska, and Chart Supplement Pacific. FIG 9-1-14 was repositioned and renumbered to immediately follow subparagraph d2 for better readability.
8. APPENDIX 4. FAA FORM 7233-4 ‐ INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT PLAN This change modifies codes used in field 18 of the ICAO flight plan for indication of ADS-B equipage in compliance with international agreements.
9. APPENDIX 4. FAA FORM 7233-4 ‐ INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT PLAN This change modifies an existing note to identify three Item 18 NAV and PBN codes that require all civil operators to obtain specific operational approval prior to including on their flight plan. Additionally, an identical comment was added to Appendix 2 of the U.S. AIP.
10. Editorial Changes Editorial changes include updates to the term Chart Supplement and Chart Supplement U.S.; the addition of RX Receive/Receiver and edit of REDL to Runway Edge Light in 5-1-3, TBL 5-1-2; a change reconciling the discrepancy between FAA Order JO 7210.3 and the Aeronautical Information Manual by changing the time for requesting Remote Airport Information Service (RAIS) support from 60 days to 30 days; correcting the spelling of “Juliet” to “Juliett” in paragraph 4-1-16; a couple of simple editorial changes in paragraphs 3-2-3 and 5-4-1; correcting non-radar to nonradar in 5-3-2c4; and a simple editorial correcting “four” to “these” in 7-1-10d1(a).

 

The Federal Aviation Administration is responsible for ensuring the safe, efficient, and secure use of the Nation's airspace, by military as well as civil aviation, for promoting safety in air commerce, for encouraging and developing civil aeronautics, including new aviation technology, and for supporting the requirements of national defense.

The activities required to carry out these responsibilities include: safety regulations; airspace management and the establishment, operation, and maintenance of a civil-military common system of air traffic control (ATC) and navigation facilities; research and development in support of the fostering of a national system of airports, promulgation of standards and specifications for civil airports, and administration of Federal grants-in-aid for developing public airports; various joint and cooperative activities with the Department of Defense; and technical assistance (under State Department auspices) to other countries.

Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)
Basic Flight Information and ATC Procedures

This manual is designed to provide the aviation community with basic flight information and ATC procedures for use in the National Airspace System (NAS) of the United States. An international version called the Aeronautical Information Publication contains parallel information, as well as specific information on the international airports for use by the international community.

This manual contains the fundamentals required in order to fly in the United States NAS. It also contains items of interest to pilots concerning health and medical facts, factors affecting flight safety, a pilot/controller glossary of terms used in the ATC System, and information on safety, accident, and hazard reporting.

This manual is complemented by other operational publications which are available via separate subscriptions. These publications are:

The Chart Supplement U.S., the Chart Supplement Alaska, and the Chart Supplement Pacific - These publications contain information on airports, communications, navigation aids, instrument landing systems, VOR receiver check points, preferred routes, Flight Service Station/Weather Service telephone numbers, Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) frequencies, part-time surface areas, and various other pertinent special notices essential to air navigation. These publications are available through a network of FAA approved print providers. A listing of products, dates of latest editions, and print providers is available on the Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) website at: http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/print_providers/.

Publication Schedule
Basic or Change	Cutoff Date for Completion	Effective Date of Publication
Basic Manual	11/3/22	4/20/23
Change 1	4/20/23	10/5/23
Change 2	10/5/23	3/21/24
Change 3	3/21/24	9/5/24
Basic Manual	9/5/24	2/20/25
Change 1	2/20/25	8/7/25
Change 2	8/7/25	1/22/26
Change 3	1/22/26	7/9/26

 

Code of Federal Regulations ‐ The FAA publishes the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to make readily available to the aviation community the regulatory requirements placed upon them. These regulations are sold as individual parts by the Superintendent of Documents.

The more frequently amended parts are sold on subscription service with subscribers receiving changes automatically as issued. Less active parts are sold on a single-sale basis. Changes to single‐sale parts will be sold separately as issued. Information concerning these changes will be furnished by the FAA through its Status of Federal Aviation Regulations, AC 00-44.

Advisory Circulars ‐ The FAA issues Advisory Circulars (AC) to inform the aviation public in a systematic way of nonregulatory material. Unless incorporated into a regulation by reference, the contents of an advisory circular are not binding on the public. Advisory Circulars are issued in a numbered subject system corresponding to the subject areas of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (Title 14, Chapter 1, FAA).

NOTE-

Current AC information can be found at:

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/.

External References ‐ All references to Advisory Circulars and other FAA publications in the Aeronautical Information Manual include the FAA Advisory Circular or Order identification numbers (when available). However, due to varied publication dates, the basic publication letter is not included.

EXAMPLE-

FAA Order JO 7110.65X, Air Traffic Control, is referenced as FAA Order JO 7110.65.

 

This manual is available by its effective date on the FAA's Air Traffic Plans and Publications website at https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/.

This manual is distributed electronically to all who subscribe to receive email notifications through the FAA's website. All organizations are responsible for viewing, downloading, and subscribing to receive email notifications when changes occur to this manual. Subscriptions to air traffic directives can be made through the Air Traffic Plans and Publications website at https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/ or directly via the following link:
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USAFAA/subscriber/new?topic_id=USAFAA_39.

 

The following is in essence, the statement issued by the FAA Administrator and published in the December 10, 1964, issue of the Federal Register, concerning the FAA policy as pertaining to the type of information that will be published as NOTAMs and in the Aeronautical Information Manual.

1. It is a pilot's inherent responsibility to be alert at all times for and in anticipation of all circumstances, situations, and conditions affecting the safe operation of the aircraft. For example, a pilot should expect to find air traffic at any time or place. At or near both civil and military airports and in the vicinity of known training areas, a pilot should expect concentrated air traffic and realize concentrations of air traffic are not limited to these places.
2. It is the general practice of the agency to advertise by NOTAM or other flight information publications such information it may deem appropriate; information which the agency may from time to time make available to pilots is solely for the purpose of assisting them in executing their regulatory responsibilities. Such information serves the aviation community as a whole and not pilots individually.
3. The fact that the agency under one particular situation or another may or may not furnish information does not serve as a precedent of the agency's responsibility to the aviation community; neither does it give assurance that other information of the same or similar nature will be advertised, nor, does it guarantee that any and all information known to the agency will be advertised.
4. This publication, while not regulatory, provides information which reflects examples of operating techniques and procedures which may be requirements in other federal publications or regulations. It is made available solely to assist pilots in executing their responsibilities required by other publications.

Consistent with the foregoing, it is the policy of the Federal Aviation Administration to furnish information only when, in the opinion of the agency, a unique situation should be advertised and not to furnish routine information such as concentrations of air traffic, either civil or military. The Aeronautical Information Manual will not contain informative items concerning everyday circumstances that pilots should, either by good practices or regulation, expect to encounter or avoid.