Please Note: This guide is not intended for day-to-day use and serves only as a brief tip. For accurate information, always refer to the correct manuals provided by the manufacturer and your current employer.
Boeing operations manuals are like guidebooks for the planes they make. They’re organized in sections, each covering different parts of how the plane works. You’ll find stuff about flying, like takeoff and landing procedures, and also details about the plane’s systems, like engines and electronics.
The operations manual is divided into two volumes.
Volume 1 includes:
Preface: General info about the manual’s purpose, structure, and revisions.
Limitations and Normal Procedures: Covers operational limits and standard procedures.
Supplementary Procedures: Details procedures done as needed, not every flight.
Performance Dispatch: Info needed for self dispatch.
Volume 2 contains general airplane and systems info, subdivided into sections about controls, indicators, and system descriptions.
Additionally, there’s a Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) covering normal and non-normal checklists, in-flight performance, and maneuvers.
Page Numbering System
The operations manual uses a decimal page numbering system with three fields: chapter, section, and page. For example, a page number for the hydraulics chapter could be: Chapter 13, Section 20, Page 3.
Page Identification
Each page in the manual is identified by a customer document number and a page date. The customer document number starts with the general 737 operations manual number, D6-27370-, followed by the airplane model and customer identification. The page date is either the publication date of the manual or the most recent revision date.
This manual employs different levels of written advisories:
- WARNING: Indicates an operating procedure, technique, etc., that may result in personal injury or loss of life if not carefully followed.
- CAUTION: Alerts to an operating procedure, technique, etc., that may result in damage to equipment if not carefully followed.
- Note: Highlights an operating procedure, technique, etc., considered essential to emphasize. Information contained in notes may also be safety related.
Operations Manual Bulletins Overview
Boeing issues operations manual bulletins when needed. These bulletins share temporary info or important details for all operators. Each bulletin gets a unique number and is recorded by operators. Some bulletins may not apply to all airplane models and specify which planes they affect.
Temporary info usually gets added to the manual during the next formal revision. If a condition is still temporary after the info is added, it’s labeled with the bulletin’s reference. Once the temporary condition is resolved, the bulletin is cancelled, and the original manual content is restored.
Here’s what the different bulletin statuses mean:
- In Effect (IE): The bulletin has important info not in the manual. It should be kept in the manual.
- Incorporated (INC): The bulletin’s info is added to the manual pages but remains in effect.
- Cancelled (CANC): The bulletin is no longer valid. It should be removed from the manual, and the record page should be updated.