Aeronautical Information Manual
Aeronautical Information Manual — official FAA operational guidance
184 paragraphs from Chapter 4 (Air Traffic Control) and Chapter 7 (Safety of Flight). The AIM is FAA guidance — it is not regulatory, although it often explains how to comply with regulations. Additional chapters are being added over time.
Chapter 4. Air Traffic Control
Section 4-1 — Services Available to Pilots
- 4-1-1Air Route Traffic Control Centers
- 4-1-2Control Towers
- 4-1-3Flight Service Stations
- 4-1-4Recording and Monitoring
- 4-1-5Communications Release of IFR Aircraft Landing at an Airport Without an Operating Control Tower
- 4-1-6Pilot Visits to Air Traffic Facilities
- 4-1-7Operation Rain Check
- 4-1-8Approach Control Service for VFR Arriving Aircraft
- 4-1-9Traffic Advisory Practices at Airports Without Operating Control Towers
- 4-1-10IFR Approaches/Ground Vehicle Operations
- 4-1-11Designated UNICOM/MULTICOM Frequencies
- 4-1-12Use of UNICOM for ATC Purposes
- 4-1-13Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS)
- 4-1-14Automatic Flight Information Service (AFIS) - Alaska FSSs Only
- 4-1-15Radar Traffic Information Service
- 4-1-16Safety Alert
- 4-1-17Radar Assistance to VFR Aircraft
- 4-1-18Terminal Radar Services for VFR Aircraft
- 4-1-19Tower En Route Control (TEC)
- 4-1-20Transponder and ADS-B Out Operation
- 4-1-21Airport Reservation Operations and Special Traffic Management Programs
- 4-1-22Requests for Waivers and Authorizations from Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR)
- 4-1-23Weather Systems Processor
Section 4-2 — Radio Communications Phraseology
- 4-2-1General
- 4-2-2Radio Technique
- 4-2-3Contact Procedures
- 4-2-4Aircraft Call Signs
- 4-2-5Description of Interchange or Leased Aircraft
- 4-2-6Ground Station Call Signs
- 4-2-7Phonetic Alphabet
- 4-2-8Figures
- 4-2-9Altitudes and Flight Levels
- 4-2-10Directions
- 4-2-11Speeds
- 4-2-12Time
- 4-2-13Communications with Tower when Aircraft Transmitter or Receiver or Both are Inoperative
- 4-2-14Communications for VFR Flights
Section 4-3 — Airport Operations
- 4-3-1General
- 4-3-2Airports with an Operating Control Tower
- 4-3-3Traffic Patterns
- 4-3-4Visual Indicators at Airports Without an Operating Control Tower
- 4-3-5Unexpected Maneuvers in the Airport Traffic Pattern
- 4-3-6Use of Runways/Declared Distances
- 4-3-7Low Level Wind Shear/Microburst Detection Systems
- 4-3-8Braking Action Reports and Advisories
- 4-3-9Runway Condition Reports
- 4-3-10Intersection Takeoffs
- 4-3-11Pilot Responsibilities When Conducting Land and Hold Short Operations (LAHSO)
- 4-3-12Low Approach
- 4-3-13Traffic Control Light Signals
- 4-3-14Communications
- 4-3-15Gate Holding Due to Departure Delays
- 4-3-16VFR Flights in Terminal Areas
- 4-3-17VFR Helicopter Operations at Controlled Airports
- 4-3-18Taxiing
- 4-3-19Taxi During Low Visibility
- 4-3-20Standard Taxi Routes
- 4-3-21Exiting the Runway After Landing
- 4-3-22Practice Instrument Approaches
- 4-3-23Option Approach
- 4-3-24Use of Aircraft Lights
- 4-3-25Flight Inspection/`Flight Check' Aircraft in Terminal Areas
- 4-3-26Hand Signals
- 4-3-27Operations at Uncontrolled Airports With Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS)/Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS)
Section 4-4 — ATC Clearances and Aircraft Separation
- 4-4-1Clearance
- 4-4-2Clearance Prefix
- 4-4-3Clearance Items
- 4-4-4Amended Clearances
- 4-4-5Coded Departure Route (CDR)
- 4-4-6Special VFR Clearances
- 4-4-7Pilot Responsibility upon Clearance Issuance
- 4-4-8IFR Clearance VFR-on-top
- 4-4-9VFR/IFR Flights
- 4-4-10Adherence to Clearance
- 4-4-11IFR Separation Standards
- 4-4-12Speed Adjustments
- 4-4-13Runway Separation
- 4-4-14Visual Separation
- 4-4-15Use of Visual Clearing Procedures and Scanning Techniques
- 4-4-16Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS I & II)
- 4-4-17Traffic Information Service (TIS)
Section 4-5 — Surveillance Systems
- 4-5-1Radar
- 4-5-2Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS)
- 4-5-3Surveillance Radar
- 4-5-4Precision Approach Radar (PAR)
- 4-5-5Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE-X)/Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC)
- 4-5-6Traffic Information Service (TIS)
- 4-5-7Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Services
- 4-5-8Traffic Information Service- Broadcast (TIS-B)
- 4-5-9Flight Information Service- Broadcast (FIS-B)
- 4-5-10Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Rebroadcast (ADS-R)
Section 4-6 — Operational Policy/Procedures for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) in the Domestic U.S., Alaska, Offshore Airspace and the San Juan FIR
- 4-6-1Applicability and RVSM Mandate (Date/Time and Area)
- 4-6-2Flight Level Orientation Scheme
- 4-6-3Aircraft and Operator Approval Policy/Procedures, RVSM Monitoring and Databases for Aircraft and Operator Approval
- 4-6-4Flight Planning into RVSM Airspace
- 4-6-5Pilot RVSM Operating Practices and Procedures
- 4-6-6Guidance on Severe Turbulence and Mountain Wave Activity (MWA)
- 4-6-7Guidance on Wake Turbulence
- 4-6-8Pilot/Controller Phraseology
- 4-6-9Contingency Actions: Weather Encounters and Aircraft System Failures that Occur After Entry into RVSM Airspace
- 4-6-10Procedures for Accommodation of Non-RVSM Aircraft
- 4-6-11Non-RVSM Aircraft Requesting Climb to and Descent from Flight Levels Above RVSM Airspace Without Intermediate Level Off
Section 4-7 — Operational Policy/Procedures for the Gulf of America 50 NM Lateral Separation Initiative
Chapter 7. Safety of Flight
Section 7-1 — Meteorology
- 7-1-1National Weather Service Aviation Weather Service Program
- 7-1-2FAA Weather Services
- 7-1-3Use of Aviation Weather Products
- 7-1-4Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA)
- 7-1-5Preflight Briefing
- 7-1-6Inflight Aviation Weather Advisories
- 7-1-7Categorical Ceiling and Visibility Conditions
- 7-1-8Inflight Weather Advisory Broadcasts
- 7-1-9Flight Information Services (FIS)
- 7-1-10Weather Observing Programs
- 7-1-11Weather Radar Services
- 7-1-12ATC Inflight Weather Avoidance Assistance
- 7-1-13Runway Visual Range (RVR)
- 7-1-14Reporting of Cloud Heights
- 7-1-15Reporting Prevailing Visibility
- 7-1-16Estimating Intensity of Rain and Ice Pellets
- 7-1-17Estimating Intensity of Snow or Drizzle (Based on Visibility)
- 7-1-18Pilot Weather Reports (PIREPs)
- 7-1-19PIREPs Relating to Airframe Icing
- 7-1-20Definitions of Inflight Icing Terms
- 7-1-21PIREPs Relating to Turbulence
- 7-1-22Wind Shear PIREPs
- 7-1-23Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) PIREPs
- 7-1-24Microbursts
- 7-1-25PIREPs Relating to Volcanic Ash Activity
- 7-1-26Thunderstorms
- 7-1-27Thunderstorm Flying
- 7-1-28Key to Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) and Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR)
- 7-1-29International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Weather Formats
Section 7-2 — Barometric Altimeter Errors and Setting Procedures
Section 7-3 — Cold Temperature Barometric Altimeter Errors, Setting Procedures and Cold Temperature Airports (CTA)
- 7-3-1Effect of Cold Temperature on Barometric Altimeters
- 7-3-2Pre-Flight Planning for Cold Temperature Altimeter Errors
- 7-3-3Effects of Cold Temperature on Baro-Vertical Navigation (VNAV) Vertical Guidance
- 7-3-4Cold Temperature Airports (CTA)
- 7-3-5Cold Temperature Airport Procedures
- 7-3-6Examples for Calculating Altitude Corrections on CTAs
Section 7-4 — Wake Turbulence
Section 7-5 — Bird Hazards and Flight Over National Refuges, Parks, and Forests
Section 7-6 — Potential Flight Hazards
- 7-6-1Accident Causal Factors
- 7-6-2Reporting Radio/Radar Altimeter Anomalies
- 7-6-3VFR in Congested Areas
- 7-6-4Obstructions To Flight
- 7-6-5Avoid Flight Beneath Unmanned Balloons
- 7-6-6Unmanned Aircraft Systems
- 7-6-7Mountain Flying
- 7-6-8Use of Runway Half-way Signs at Unimproved Airports
- 7-6-9Seaplane Safety
- 7-6-10Flight Operations in Volcanic Ash
- 7-6-11Emergency Airborne Inspection of Other Aircraft
- 7-6-12Precipitation Static
- 7-6-13Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (Laser) Operations and Reporting Illumination of Aircraft
- 7-6-14Flying in Flat Light, Brown Out Conditions, and White Out Conditions
- 7-6-15Operations in Ground Icing Conditions
- 7-6-16Avoid Flight in the Vicinity of Exhaust Plumes (Smoke Stacks and Cooling Towers)
- 7-6-17Space Launch and Reentry Area
- 7-6-18Automatic Landing Operations
Source information
- Source type
- Aeronautical Information Manual
- Official title
- Aeronautical Information Manual
- Citation
- AIM
- Revision
- Change 3
- Edition
- Basic (with Change 3)
- Change number
- Change 3
- Effective / amended
- Jul 9, 2026
- Status
- Current
- Last checked by SkeyeMentor
- Aug 8, 2026
- Internal version
- aim-ingest-1.0.0
- Official source