Aeronautical Information Manual
In United States and Canadian aviation, the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) [1] is the federal regulatory body's official guide to basic flight information and Air traffic control procedures.
This manual contains the fundamentals required in order to fly legally in the country of origin. 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. Although the AIM is not regulatory in nature, parts of it re-state and amplify federal regulations.
United States
In the United States, the AIM is published by the Federal Aviation Administration, and contains ten chapters,[2] as follows:
- Air Navigation
- Aeronautical Lighting and Other Airport Visual Aids
- Airspace
- Air Traffic Control
- Air Traffic Procedures
- Emergency Procedures
- Safety of Flight
- Medical Facts for Pilots
- Aeronautical Charts and Related Publications
- Helicopter Operations
The AIM's text and images are produced by the FAA, and are available in electronic form.[3] Several commercial enterprises sell typeset books containing the AIM, usually in combination with those chapters of the Federal regulations that are particularly important to pilots. The books are usually called "FAR/AIM".
Canada
In Canada, the AIM is published by Transport Canada, and contains the following chapters:
- General (GEN)
- Aerodromes (AGA)
- Communications (COM)
- Meteorology (MET)
- Rules of the Air and Air Traffic Services (RAC)
- Facilitation (FAL)
- Search and Rescue (SAR)
- Aeronautical Charts and Publications (MAP)
- Licensing, Registration and Airworthiness (LRA)
- Airmanship (AIR)
New editions of the AIM are published twice a year, usually in April and October.[4]