AFH in plain English.
How to actually fly — basic maneuvers, takeoff and landing techniques, traffic patterns, performance maneuvers, transitions to complex/multiengine/jet.
The Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH) is published free by the FAA. As of 2026-08-02, The FAA lists FAA-H-8083-3C as the current Airplane Flying Handbook. This index breaks that handbook into 71 named topics across 16 chapters so you can jump straight to a subject instead of scrolling a PDF. Not indexed here yet: Chapter 4 (Energy Management: Mastering Altitude and Airspeed Control) and Chapter 17 (Transition to Light Sport Airplanes (LSA)).
Chapter numbers on this page follow FAA-H-8083-3C. Some topic URLs still carry a chapter number from an earlier edition — /handbook/afh/4-power-off-stalls is power-off stalls, which is Chapter 5 in the current handbook. The URL is a permanent address; the chapter heading is the current number.
Source: FAA AFH page (FAA-H-8083-3C); date_retrieved: 2026-08-02.
AFH Chapter 1 · Introduction to Flight Training
3 topicsAFH Chapter 2 · Ground Operations
4 topicsAFH Chapter 3 · Basic Flight Maneuvers
4 topicsAFH Chapter 5 · Maintaining Aircraft Control: Upset Prevention and Recovery Training
6 topicsAFH Chapter 6 · Takeoffs and Departure Climbs
6 topicsAFH Chapter 7 · Ground Reference Maneuvers
4 topicsAFH Chapter 8 · Airport Traffic Patterns
4 topicsAFH Chapter 9 · Approaches and Landings
7 topicsAFH Chapter 10 · Performance Maneuvers
4 topicsAFH Chapter 11 · Night Operations
5 topicsAFH Chapter 12 · Transition to Complex Airplanes
4 topicsAFH Chapter 13 · Transition to Multiengine Airplanes
4 topicsAFH Chapter 14 · Transition to Tailwheel Airplanes
3 topicsAFH Chapter 15 · Transition to Turbopropeller-Powered Airplanes
3 topicsAFH Chapter 16 · Transition to Jet-Powered Airplanes
4 topicsAFH Chapter 18 · Emergency Procedures
6 topicsAFH FAQ
- What is the AFH (Airplane Flying Handbook)?
- The Airplane Flying Handbook is the FAA’s guide to actually flying an airplane — basic maneuvers, takeoffs and landings, stalls and slow flight, ground reference maneuvers, traffic patterns, night operations, and transitions to complex, multiengine, tailwheel, turboprop, and jet airplanes. As of 2026-08-02 the FAA lists the current edition as FAA-H-8083-3C.
- Which AFH chapter covers a given maneuver?
- Use the chapter list on this page: chapter numbers here follow FAA-H-8083-3C, the current edition, so Chapter 4 is Energy Management, Chapter 5 is Maintaining Aircraft Control (Upset Prevention and Recovery Training), Chapter 9 is Approaches and Landings, and Chapter 18 is Emergency Procedures. The 3C edition inserted Energy Management as a new Chapter 4 and moved every later chapter up by one, so a handbook that puts Slow Flight, Stalls, and Spins at Chapter 4 is the older FAA-H-8083-3A — that material is Chapter 5 in the current book. Check the edition code on your cover page if the numbers disagree.
- How is the AFH different from the PHAK?
- The PHAK covers aeronautical knowledge — why an airplane flies and the environment it flies in. The AFH covers technique — how to perform each maneuver to the standard a checkride expects. Most private-pilot study uses both.
- Where can I read the official Airplane Flying Handbook?
- The FAA publishes it free as a PDF from its Aviation Handbooks & Manuals page. This index breaks the same handbook into named maneuvers so you can jump to one technique directly.