Airplane Flying Handbook
Airplane flight training
Airplane Flying Handbook
Current airplane flight-training handbook with an October 2025 FAA addendum available from the publication page.
- Publication number
- FAA-H-8083-3C
- Publisher
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Access
- Free official publication
- Best for
- Airplane flight training
Purpose and audience
About this handbook
A maneuver-focused training reference that explains how airplanes are controlled from preflight through advanced and emergency operations.
Who should use it
Student pilots, certificated airplane pilots, and flight instructors.
Key subjects
What you’ll learn
Ground operations and basic flight
Takeoffs, landings, and go-arounds
Performance and advanced maneuvers
Emergency and transition operations
Practical study
How to use it in training
Read the relevant chapter before a flight lesson, identify the objective and common errors, then review it again during the postflight debrief.
- Set an objective. Choose the chapter or topic that supports the next lesson, task, or operating decision.
- Read actively. Mark definitions, diagrams, limitations, and questions to discuss with an instructor or qualified professional.
- Apply the material. Work a scenario, calculation, briefing, simulator exercise, or supervised practical task.
- Verify current information. Check regulations, official notices, charts, and approved aircraft or equipment documents.
Edition awareness
Revision and authority notes
The FAA publication page contains the current handbook and any posted addenda. Check the source page before relying on a saved copy.
Directory review date: August 1, 2026
Continue studying
