FAA Advisory Circulars
Introduction
On this page you can find a selection of FAA Advisory Circulars (ACs) which you may find relevant for your flying. We have highlighted some with the following color codes:
In red: crucially important ACs for all pilots of small airplanes.
In green: good to know ACs for all pilots.
In magenta: For pilots seeking advanced training.
In cornflower blue: ACs frequently needed by flight instructors. (Some of these are also in red if of interest to the student.)
Just because an AC has not been highlighted in color, does not mean that a topic is unimportant, but a selection had to be made. The list below also does not pretend to be comprehensive. Some important ACs may be missing. For a complete list of all FAA Advisory Circulars, please go to the FAA website.
The ACs are grouped and numbered by subject. The first part of the two-number code reflects the general subject and the specific subject. The FAA website provides an explanation of the Advisory Circular numbering system.
Selected Advisory Circulars
(This is a small, subjective selection only, of interest to the general aviation pilot of small airplanes. The official complete list of all Advisory Circulars can be found on the FAA website.)
00 General
- AC 00-6A: Aviation Weather for Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel (Cancelled)
http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentid/22268 - AC 00-6B: Aviation Weather
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_00-6B.pdf
(Cancels AC 00-6A. This AC deals with the physics and meteorology of weather, which does not change appreciably. Its companion is the current version of AC 00-45, which deals with Aviation Weather Services and is updated more frequently, as technology advances.) - AC 00-24C: Thunderstorms
https://www.faa.gov/documentlibrary/media/advisory_circular/ac%2000-24c.pdf - AC 00-30C: Clear Air Turbulence Avoidance
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_00-30C.pdf - AC 00-45G: Aviation Weather Services
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_00-45G_CHG_1-2.pdf
(Extensive AC describing all the weather report and forecast products in detail. Updated frequently as technology advances. The companion of this AC is AC 00-06B, which deals with the physics and meteorology of weather.) - AC 00-63A: Use of Cockpit Displays of Digital Weather and Aeronautical Information
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_00-63A.pdf
20 Aircraft
- AC 23-8C: The Flight Test Guide for Certification of Part 23 Airplanes
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_23-8C.pdf
(Specifies together with 14 CFR Part 23 the intentional by-design behavior of airplanes and how to test it during development.)
60 Airmen
- AC 60-22: Aeronautical Decision Making
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_60-22.pdf - AC 61-10A: Private and Commercial Pilots Refresher Courses (1972)
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/ac61-10a.pdf - AC 61-65F: Certification: Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors (Endorsements)
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_61-65F.pdf - AC 61-67C: Stall and Spin Awareness Training
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_61-67C_Chg_2.pdf - AC 61-83H: Nationally Scheduled, FAA-Approved, Industry-Conducted Flight Instructor Refresher Course
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_61-83H.pdf - AC 61-98C: Currency Requirements and Guidance for the Flight Review and
Instrument Proficiency Check (BFR Reference)
http://www.faa.gov/documentlibrary/media/advisory_circular/ac_61-98c.pdf - AC 61-107B: Aircraft Operations at Altitudes Above 25,000 Feet Mean Sea Level or Mach Numbers Greater Than .75
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_61-107B_CHG_1_FAA.pdf - AC 61-134: General Aviation Controlled Flight Into Terrain Awareness
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/ac61-134.pdf - AC 61-136: FAA Approval of Aviation Training Devices and Their Use for Training and Experience (AATD and BATD)
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_61-136A.pdf
90 Air Traffic and General Operating Rules
- AC 90-23G: Aircraft Wake Turbulence
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-23G.pdf - AC 90-42F: Traffic Advisory Procedures at Airport without Operating Control Towers
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/ac90-42F.pdf - AC 90-66A: Recommended Standard Traffic Patterns and Practices for Aeronautical Operations at Airports without Operating Control Towers
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC90-66A.pdf - AC 91-48 (old AC from 1977, not available directly through the FAA website anymore): Acrobatics – Precision Flying with a Purpose
https://www.airshows.aero/GetDoc/1413
(This AC discusses some of the airworthiness and operations aspects of aerobatics; its biomedical factor complement is AC 91-61.) - AC 91-51A (Cancelled, incorporated now in AC 91-74B): Effect of Icing on Aircraft Control and Airplane Deice and Anti-Ice Systems
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC91-51A.pdf - AC 91-61: A Hazard in Aerobatics: Effects of G-Forces on Pilots
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC%2091-61.pdf - AC 91-73B: Parts 91 and 135 Single Pilot, Flight School Procedures During Taxi Operations (Runway Incursion Avoidance)
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC%2091-73B.pdf - AC 91-74B: Pilot Guide: Flight in Icing Conditions
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_91-74B.pdf
- AC 90-100A (with Change 2): U.S. Terminal and En Route Area Navigation (RNAV) Operations
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-100A_CHG_2.pdf
(Use of RNAV systems on RNAV routes and RNAV terminal procedures.) - AC 90-105A: Approval Guidance for RNP Operations and Barometric Vertical Navigation in the U.S. National Airspace System
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-105A.pdf
(Use of RNAV systems on instrument approach procedures (IAP) titled “RNAV (GPS)” and “GPS”.) - AC 90-108 (with Change 1): Use of Suitable Area Navigation (RNAV) Systems on Conventional Routes and Procedures
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-108_CHG_1.pdf
(Use of an RNAV system (e.g. GNSS/GPS) as a “substitute means of navigation” (in case of inoperative facility or inoperative/missing aircraft equipment) or as an “alternate means of navigation” (in case of operative and present equipment, but by deliberate pilot choice) on conventional (non-RNAV) routes and procedures.)
120 Air Carriers, Air Travel Clubs, and Operators for Compensation or Hire: Certification and Operations
- AC 120-111: Upset Prevention and Recovery Training
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_120-111_CHG_1.pdf