Beechcraft K35 Bonanza

boscomantico wrote:

But why would that POH have been published, if it is in no way relevant / binding? Just some CYA exercise by Raytheon at the time?

Quite a few AFM’s of the old days were chaotic and did not yield much information, compared to later editions. Maybe Beech simply wanted to update the old AFM into something which had better content?

In the Mooney in Switzerland we also have to carry a FOCA approved = stamped AFM plus the supplements required (Autopilot e.t.c.) Operation is mostly done with the printed POH however, which every Pilot has an exemplar in print or PDF. Contents are 99% the same, airplane specific things (like the load and balance basic data and avionic supplements) however are only available in the AFM on board and the copy archived at the CAMO, which are updated as required.

Airlines write their own AFMs, POH, OM’s or whatever they are called, often enough they are massively different of the original and need certification by the CAA each time they are updated. In theory, this is also doable for private ops and will be certified by the CAA if done properly. I’ve seen some exemplars like this, where flight schools have their own version POH for their fleet, including all the special equipment e.t.c. the airplanes have. Once they are certified by the CAA, they become the operations referrence. Most people don’t do this however, as then the responsibility for the content goes to them rather than the manufacturer but it can be neat having an actual manual for this.

Piper for instance published “Information Manuals” which are the ones they sell for their types to anyone who wants them as training and personal copies. I suppose most POH’s are the same, you can order them for any plane you like. It becomes binding only once it is customized for an individual airframe and includes all the annexes for installed equipment.

So if you have i.e an STC for Autofuel, that will be in there, but it won’t be in the printed POH by the manufacturer. To use UL91 on approved models, all that is required is a placard signed of by a CAMO after verification that the engine is approved. Other than Mogas, there is no need for an STC as far as I know.

boscomantico wrote:

No CAMO required for that.

Yes, sorry. Who is not in a CAMO doesn’t need it. If the airplane is in a CAMO, they would be involved.

boscomantico wrote:

So, it, too, calls for the FAA-approved AFM, the respective placards, and for the owners manual. It does not call for the Raytheon POH, despite this issue of the TCDS being from 1986. But why would that POH have been published, if it is in no way relevant / binding? Just some CYA exercise by Raytheon at the time?

Do these documents really have to be carried in original, for these requirements to be met?

I can’t offer an opinion regarding D registration, just N registration. The applicable regulations for FAA are:

91.9 Specifies that placards and any AFM limitations are required to be on board and used by the operator
21.5 Specifies that a POH AFM is required for any aircraft manufactured after March 1, 1979
23.2620 Specifies that the limitations section is all that is FAA approved for an aircraft such as a Bonanza

So, a POH was never required for the K model Bonanza or for my V35A bonanza, but the manufacturer does provide a POH with a later version of the AFM limitations. Can the manufacturer update the limitations, sure. Can the pilot use the updated POH limitations, yes. Can the manufacturer force you to use the updated limitations from the POH rather than the ones in the original AFM, no. The only situation where an updated POH/AFM limitations section would be required if there was an AD requiring it to be updated. You must carry an AFM in the aircraft, but it can be either the original or a later POH and you must follow the limitations in the AFM you choose to carry. I have both in my Bonanza.

GAMA adopted a standard POH format in 1979 and manufacturers still in business issued POH from that point forward using the standard POH format. My POH document has a blank space for the aircraft serial number and the registration tail number/ID. The owner fills the blanks in and the POH applies to all applicable serial numbers. IOW, there isn’t a POH assigned specifically to my aircraft. The same document contains my current equipment list and W&B information and some of the AFMS for modifications. Most of my AFMS are in a 8 1/2 binder along with the original AFM. I carry both on board to be legal.

See this opinion, not precisely on target, but notice that the FAA notes that the later POH revision is immaterial.

FAA General Counsel Opinion