AIM

4/20/23

Basic Flight Information and ATC Procedures

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

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

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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

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in

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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  

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 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

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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