The Short Answer
OpSpecs, MSpecs, and LOAs are three forms of the same thing: FAA-issued documents that tell a specific operator exactly what it is authorized to do. Which one you hold depends on what kind of operator you are.
Operations Specifications (OpSpecs) go to a certificate holder — a Part 135 or Part 121 operator — under 14 CFR §119.7. Management Specifications (MSpecs) go to the program manager of a Part 91 subpart K fractional ownership program under 14 CFR §91.1015, because that manager holds no air carrier certificate. A Letter of Authorization (LOA) is a narrow, single-subject approval issued to an operator with no certificate at all — most often a Part 91 operator authorizing one capability such as RVSM.
All three are built from the same standardized FAA paragraph templates. That is why OpSpec C060, MSpec C060, and LOA C060 all mean the same thing — Category II/III instrument approach operations. The letter prefix tells you which document type you hold; the number and its subject are identical across all three.
Why There Are Three Documents at All
The confusion is understandable, because all three documents do the same job — they translate the FAA's general rules into your specific permissions — but they exist because operators come in legally different shapes. The federal aviation regulations set a universal floor: Part 135 tells every on-demand operator the minimum it must do, Part 91 subpart K tells every fractional program the minimum it must do, and so on. What the regulations cannot do is say which of those operations you are individually cleared to fly, in which areas, with which tail numbers, under what conditions. That individualized layer is what these three documents carry.
The reason the FAA uses three different names comes down to whether you hold a certificate:
You hold an air carrier or operating certificate
OpSpecsA Part 135 or Part 121 operator is issued operations specifications together with its certificate under §119.5. The certificate says you are authorized to conduct commercial operations; the OpSpecs say which ones.
You manage a Part 91K fractional program (no certificate)
MSpecsA subpart K program manager furnishes management services to fractional owners rather than operating as a certificated carrier, so §91.1015 authorizes the program through management specifications instead of OpSpecs.
You operate under Part 91 and need one capability
LOAA Part 91 operator holds no certificate and therefore no OpSpecs. A single capability — RVSM, a special navigation procedure — is granted as a stand-alone Letter of Authorization.
One system, three labels
Behind all three documents is a single set of standardized FAA paragraph templates, generated through the agency's automated authorization system. That is why a Part 135 operator and a 91K program manager who hold the same low-visibility approach authorization both carry "C060" — one as an OpSpec, one as an MSpec. Once you understand the paragraph system, you can read any of the three.
This post is the plain-English orientation for new operators. If you want the deeper records-and-amendment treatment of operations specifications — what §119.49 requires them to contain, how the §119.51 amendment process works, and how to keep them current — read our companion piece on operations specifications and how to keep them current. For the bigger picture of what a certificate obligates you to keep, start with what records a Part 135 operator must keep.
The Three Documents, One at a Time
Operations Specifications (OpSpecs)
Certificate holders — 14 CFR §119.5 & §119.7
OpSpecs are the document a Part 135 (or Part 121) certificate holder receives with its certificate. Per 14 CFR §119.7, they contain the authorizations, limitations, and certain procedures under which each kind of operation is conducted, plus certain procedures for each class and size of aircraft. The contents required for commuter and on-demand operators are enumerated separately in 14 CFR §119.49.
The critical point for a new operator: §119.5 prohibits operating as a direct air carrier or commercial operator without — or in violation of — both an appropriate certificate and appropriate operations specifications. The two are issued together and read together. Your certificate is the door; your OpSpecs draw the lines inside it.
A Part 135 operator's OpSpecs typically authorize
Management Specifications (MSpecs)
Part 91 subpart K program managers — 14 CFR §91.1015
MSpecs are the fractional-ownership equivalent of OpSpecs. A Part 91 subpart K program manager runs a fractional ownership program — owners hold shares in aircraft and the manager furnishes the management and operational services — but the manager is not a certificated air carrier. So the FAA cannot issue OpSpecs; instead, 14 CFR §91.1015 requires each person conducting subpart K operations, or furnishing fractional ownership program management services, to do so in accordance with management specifications issued by the Administrator.
The content mirrors OpSpecs closely. Per §91.1015, MSpecs include the current list of all fractional owners and their aircraft (registration markings and serial numbers), the authorizations and limitations for the operations, the approved inspection program and the type of aircraft, time limitations for overhauls and inspections, the program manager's principal base of operations, weight-and-balance control authorization, and any authorized deviations or exemptions. In other words, the same paragraph system you would see in OpSpecs — issued under a different rule to a non-certificated program manager.
Many fractional programs operate both under subpart K (MSpecs) and hold a Part 135 certificate (OpSpecs) for the on-demand charter side of the business — which means the same organization may have to keep two parallel authorization documents current. For the records side of fractional operations, see Part 91K fractional ownership compliance records.
Letters of Authorization (LOAs)
Single-subject approvals — FAA guidance, Order 8900.1
An LOA is a narrow, single-subject FAA approval. Where OpSpecs and MSpecs are comprehensive documents covering the operator's whole envelope, an LOA authorizes one specific capability. The FAA uses it as the primary instrument for operators who hold no certificate — a Part 91 operator who needs RVSM authorization, a special area-navigation procedure, or a comparable single capability receives it as an LOA, because there is no certificate and therefore no OpSpecs to put the authorization in.
LOAs do not only appear for Part 91 operators, though. A certificate holder's OpSpecs paragraph often references an underlying LOA that carries the detailed operating conditions — so the same special authorization can show up as an OpSpecs paragraph for a Part 135 operator and as a stand-alone LOA for a Part 91 operator. Many LOAs also carry their own effective date and a recurrent-currency or renewal requirement, which is what makes them easy to lose track of.
Capabilities commonly carried as LOAs
Side by side
| OpSpecs | MSpecs | LOAs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who holds it | Part 135 / 121 certificate holders | Part 91K fractional program managers | Non-certificated (often Part 91) operators |
| Governing rule | §119.5, §119.7, §119.49 | §91.1015 | FAA guidance (Order 8900.1) |
| Scope | Entire operating envelope | Entire program envelope | One specific capability |
| Certificate required | Yes | No (program management) | No |
| Paragraph system | A/B/C/D/E series | A/B/C/D/E series | Same paragraph templates |
How to Read One: The Lettered Paragraph System
Open any OpSpec, MSpec, or LOA and you will see a list of paragraphs identified by a letter and a three-digit number — A001, B036, C060, D085, and so on. The first thing to understand is that this lettered structure is not in the CFR. The regulations (§119.49 for Part 135, §91.1015 for 91K) say what the document must contain; the letter-and-number paragraph format is an FAA administrative convention described in FAA Order 8900.1 and generated through the agency's automated system (formerly WebOPSS, now part of the Safety Assurance System). It exists so every operator's document is laid out the same way and every inspector knows exactly where to look.
Read it as: letter = subject group, number = the specific paragraph
The specific paragraph numbers below are an orientation to how the series are organized, not an authoritative list — the FAA revises the standardized templates over time, and your individual issuance governs. Always confirm the meaning and currency of any paragraph against your own document and your Principal Operations Inspector.
A-series — General authorizations and operator profile
Who you are and, in broad terms, what you are authorized to do. Representative paragraphs include A001 (issuance and applicability), A003 (the holder’s name, certificate number, and business names), and A004 (a summary of authorized kinds of operations). The A-series paragraphs that identify the kinds of operations authorized are the ones treated as part of the certificate itself.
B-series — En route authorizations and limitations
How you operate between airports: en route navigation authorizations, area-of-operation authorizations, and special navigation capabilities such as RVSM and the en route portions of RNP. Operators flying oceanic, remote, or special-navigation routes carry the bulk of their special authorizations here — frequently with an underlying LOA referenced in the paragraph.
C-series — Airport and terminal-area authorizations
Operations at and around airports: terminal-area procedures, instrument approach authorizations (lower-than-standard minimums, Category II/III where authorized, RNP approaches), and airport-specific authorizations and limitations. C060, the worked example below, lives here.
D-series — Aircraft maintenance and airworthiness
The maintenance and continuous-airworthiness side: the approved aircraft inspection program or continuous-airworthiness maintenance program, airworthiness-release authorizations, and maintenance-related limitations. This is where the inspection-program and time-limitation contents are organized.
E-series and beyond — Specialized authorizations
Higher letter series cover additional specialized areas — for example, weight-and-balance control authorizations and other operation-specific items the FAA standardizes as new paragraph templates. Most small Part 135 on-demand operators hold a compact set concentrated in A through D; larger operators accumulate more.
Worked example: what "C060" tells you
OpSpec/MSpec/LOA C060 authorizes Category II and Category III instrument approach and landing operations — the low-visibility precision approaches. Reading the label: the C tells you it is a terminal-area / approach authorization; the 060 identifies this specific paragraph within that series.
C060 is the perfect illustration of the "one system, three labels" point, because the same paragraph number is issued across operator types. Per FAA guidance, C060 applies to operators under parts 91, 91 subpart K, 121, 125, 129, and 135 — so the identical authorization appears as an OpSpec for a Part 135 or 121 certificate holder, as an MSpec for a 91K fractional program, and as an LOA for a Part 91 operator. The document type changes; the meaning of C060 does not. A holder authorized for C060 may conduct CAT II/III approaches no lower than the RVR minimums prescribed for the specific make, model, and series of aircraft listed in the paragraph's tables.
An authorization paragraph is only as good as the records under it. C060 sits on top of pilot training and currency records — if the supporting Part 135 pilot records lapse, the authorization that depends on them is exposed even though the paragraph still reads "authorized."
Once you can decode the letter-and-number, every one of these documents becomes readable: find the series for the subject you care about (en route in B, approaches in C, maintenance in D), read the paragraph, and check what underlying record or LOA it depends on. For the full records-and-amendment treatment of OpSpecs specifically, see operations specifications explained.
Can you produce your current OpSpecs, MSpecs, and every referenced LOA on demand?
FileFlo classifies and version-tracks every authorization document — OpSpecs revisions, MSpecs, and the LOAs your paragraphs reference — flagging the referenced LOA that is about to expire and the operating-manual excerpt that just went stale. It does not file or amend anything with the FAA; it makes the record provable. Starter at $89/mo, Professional at $299/mo. 5-day free trial, no credit card required.
How a New Operator Gets Them
A common misunderstanding among new operators is that OpSpecs are something you apply for separately, like a permit. They are not. For a Part 135 certificate holder, the OpSpecs are the output of certification — they are drafted during the process and issued together with the certificate under §119.5. You do not request a finished set of OpSpecs; you demonstrate, paragraph by paragraph, that you can conduct each operation safely, and the OpSpecs you receive reflect exactly what you proved.
Step 1 — You decide which authorizations you actually need
Before anything is drafted, you define the operation: kinds of operation, the areas you will fly, the aircraft types, and any special authorizations (RVSM, RNP, Category II/III). Every authorization you want becomes a paragraph you will have to support — so a tighter initial scope is a faster certification. This is also where you learn which capabilities ride on an underlying LOA.
Step 2 — The FAA assigns your certification team
The FAA works applications through a structured, phased certification process with an assigned team — typically a certification project manager plus your Principal Operations Inspector (POI) and Principal Airworthiness Inspector (PAI). They are the people who will draft your OpSpecs from the standardized paragraph templates and hold you to them afterward.
Step 3 — Each paragraph is backed by your manuals, training, and evidence
Every paragraph the FAA issues must be supported by something you have demonstrated: your General Operations Manual and maintenance manual, your training program, and — for special authorizations — the underlying evidence and any required LOA. The aircraft-authorization paragraph requires the airworthiness records for each listed tail; the approach paragraph requires the pilot training behind it.
Step 4 — OpSpecs are issued with the certificate
When the FAA is satisfied, the OpSpecs are issued together with your certificate. From that moment, operating outside them is a violation under §119.5 — the document is live the day you receive it. A 91K program manager follows the analogous path and receives MSpecs under §91.1015 instead.
Step 5 — After issuance, changes run through the amendment process
Adding an aircraft, a new area, or a new authorization later is handled as an amendment under §119.51, which has its own filing timelines (longer lead time for major changes such as new aircraft types or kinds of operation). Each amendment produces a new effective date you must be able to show — which is exactly where version control becomes a daily discipline.
The day-one document problem new operators underestimate
The moment your OpSpecs are issued, you also inherit the duty under 14 CFR §119.43 to keep a complete set at your principal base, mirror the pertinent excerpts in your operating manual, and keep your people informed of the provisions that apply to them. Every future amendment ripples into those manual excerpts — and an excerpt that still reflects a superseded paragraph is itself a finding. New operators routinely nail the certification and then drift on version control within months.
Two related reads as you build the supporting file: who must hold authority over each flight — operational control in Part 135 — and the qualifications the FAA expects of your required management personnel. If a single pilot is the whole operation, see Part 135 single-pilot operator records, and for the manuals behind your paragraphs, the general operations and maintenance manual requirements.
The Authorization Record an Inspector Expects to Be Current
Whichever instrument you hold, surveillance follows the same logic: the inspector starts from the current authorization index and works outward, confirming that the master set matches the agency's own record, that your manual excerpts match the master set, and that the operation actually conducted falls inside the authorized envelope. The documents below are the spine of that review. None of them is a flight-operations or maintenance-tracking system — they are the record that proves your authorization status, and keeping that record complete and current is a document-management discipline.
Current OpSpecs / MSpecs Master Set
14 CFR §119.43(a) / §91.1015What it proves
The complete and separate set maintained at your principal base — OpSpecs for a certificate holder, MSpecs for a 91K program manager. Every paragraph must reflect its current FAA-issued revision and effective date. A master set with a superseded or missing paragraph is the first thing surveillance turns up, because the inspector can compare it directly against the agency’s own record.
How FileFlo tracks it
FileFlo classifies each revision as a versioned document, retains the full revision history with effective dates, and produces a one-click current-authorization inventory for surveillance.
Referenced Letters of Authorization (LOAs)
Referenced within OpSpec/MSpec paragraphsWhat it proves
Many special authorizations — RVSM, RNP, Class II navigation — are carried in an LOA referenced inside the corresponding paragraph. The paragraph points to the LOA; the LOA carries the detailed conditions and, frequently, an expiration or recurrent-currency requirement. A paragraph whose underlying LOA has lapsed is an authorization that looks current but is not.
How FileFlo tracks it
FileFlo inventories every LOA against the paragraph that references it, with effective date, expiration, and renewal-window alerts surfaced before the next operation that depends on it.
Operating Manual Excerpts (GOM/GMM)
14 CFR §119.43(b)What it proves
The pertinent excerpts (or references) inserted into your General Operations Manual and General Maintenance Manual, each clearly identified as part of the OpSpecs with mandatory-compliance language. When a paragraph is amended, the matching manual excerpt is immediately out of date until reconciled — a version-drift finding.
How FileFlo tracks it
FileFlo links each manual excerpt to the paragraph it mirrors, so when a revision is uploaded the now-stale excerpt is flagged for update before it becomes a finding.
Underlying Authorization Evidence
§135.293 / §135.297 / §91.411 / §91.413What it proves
Each authorization implies ongoing proof you still meet its conditions — pilot training and instrument-currency records behind an approach authorization (such as C060), altimeter and transponder inspection records behind a navigation authorization, hazmat training behind a hazmat-carriage authorization. The paragraph is the authorization; these records are the evidence it remains valid.
How FileFlo tracks it
FileFlo cross-references each authorization to its supporting records — surfacing a lapsed currency or inspection before it undermines the authorization that depends on it.
Related reading: What records a Part 135 operator must keep · How to prepare for a Part 135 surveillance audit · Truth-in-leasing aircraft lease records (§91.23) · Charter broker compliance (14 CFR Part 295)
FileFlo is the proof layer, not the certification path
FileFlo is a compliance document intelligence platform — it classifies, indexes, version-tracks, and surfaces expirations on the documents that prove your authorization status. It does not obtain your certificate, file your certification application, draft your OpSpecs or manuals, interact with the FAA's authorization system (formerly WebOPSS, now part of the Safety Assurance System), broker deals, or give legal, financial, or tax advice. Issuing and amending OpSpecs, MSpecs, and LOAs is the work of the FAA and your director of operations; FileFlo keeps the resulting record — every revision, every referenced LOA, every manual excerpt, and the underlying evidence — complete, current, and audit-ready. That separation of concerns is deliberate: the record that proves your authorizations must be maintained independently from the process that grants them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between OpSpecs, MSpecs, and LOAs?
They are three names for FAA-issued authorization documents that share one underlying system, but go to three different kinds of operator. Operations Specifications (OpSpecs) are issued to a certificate holder — a Part 135 on-demand or commuter operator, or a Part 121 air carrier — under 14 CFR §119.5 and §119.7, and define the full envelope of operations that certificate authorizes. Management Specifications (MSpecs) are the equivalent document issued to the program manager of a Part 91 subpart K fractional ownership program under 14 CFR §91.1015 — the manager holds no air carrier certificate, so the FAA authorizes the program through MSpecs instead. A Letter of Authorization (LOA) is a narrower, single-subject approval the FAA issues to an operator who does not hold a certificate at all — most often a Part 91 operator authorizing one specific capability such as RVSM or a special navigation procedure. The key insight for a new operator: the same standardized paragraph templates feed all three. OpSpec C060, MSpec C060, and LOA C060 all concern Category II/III instrument approach operations — the letter just tells you which document type you hold.
What are operations specifications (OpSpecs) in plain English?
Operations specifications are the operator-specific rulebook the FAA hands a certificate holder along with its certificate. Per 14 CFR §119.7, OpSpecs contain the authorizations, limitations, and certain procedures under which each kind of operation is conducted, plus certain procedures for each class and size of aircraft. In plain English: Part 135 sets the universal floor that applies to every on-demand operator, and your OpSpecs draw your individual lines on top of that floor — which kinds of operations you may fly, in which areas, with which specific aircraft, and under what conditions. They are issued together with the certificate under §119.5, and §119.5 prohibits operating without, or in violation of, appropriate operations specifications. So OpSpecs are not optional fine print; they are the document that turns a general certificate into your specific permission to fly.
What is an MSpec and who gets one?
A Management Specification (MSpec) is the authorization document the FAA issues to the program manager of a Part 91 subpart K fractional ownership program. Because a 91K program manager furnishes management services to fractional owners rather than operating as a certificated air carrier, the FAA cannot issue it OpSpecs — instead, 14 CFR §91.1015 requires each person conducting operations under subpart K, or furnishing fractional ownership program management services, to do so in accordance with management specifications issued by the Administrator. The MSpec content closely mirrors OpSpecs: it includes the current list of fractional owners and aircraft (registration markings and serial numbers), the authorizations and limitations for the operations, the approved inspection program, time limitations for overhauls and inspections, the program manager's principal base of operations, weight-and-balance control authorization, and any approved deviations. In short, MSpecs are to a fractional program what OpSpecs are to a Part 135 certificate — the same FAA paragraph system, issued under a different rule to a non-certificated program manager.
What is a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the FAA?
A Letter of Authorization (LOA) is a narrow, single-subject FAA approval that authorizes one specific operational capability. It is the instrument the FAA uses when the operator does not hold a certificate — a Part 91 operator who needs RVSM, a special area-navigation procedure, or a comparable authorization receives it as an LOA rather than as an OpSpecs paragraph, because there is no certificate and therefore no OpSpecs to put it in. LOAs also appear alongside OpSpecs and MSpecs: a certificate holder's OpSpecs paragraph frequently references an underlying LOA that carries the detailed operating conditions, and many LOAs carry their own effective date and recurrent-currency or renewal requirement. The practical takeaway: an LOA is the same kind of authorization expressed in letter form, and for tracking purposes it has an issuing document, a scope, and — often — an expiration you must be able to prove is still current.
How do I read an OpSpec — what do the A, B, C, D letters mean?
The letter is the subject group, and the number identifies the specific paragraph within it. The lettered structure is an FAA administrative convention described in FAA Order 8900.1 and generated through the agency's automated system (formerly WebOPSS, now part of the Safety Assurance System) — it is not a numbered subsection of the CFR. Broadly: the A-series covers general authorizations and the operator profile (issuance, certificate number, business names, summary of authorized operations); the B-series covers en route authorizations and limitations (navigation, RVSM, RNP en route, areas of operation, special navigation); the C-series covers airport and terminal-area authorizations (instrument approaches, lower-than-standard minimums, Category II/III where authorized); the D-series covers aircraft maintenance and the airworthiness program; and higher series (E for weight and balance, and beyond) cover additional specialized authorizations. So a paragraph labeled C060 is a C-series (terminal/approach) paragraph — specifically Category II and III instrument approach and landing operations. Always confirm the meaning and currency of any paragraph against your own document and your Principal Operations Inspector, because the FAA revises the standardized templates over time.
What is OpSpec C060?
OpSpec/MSpec/LOA C060 is the FAA paragraph that authorizes Category II and Category III instrument approach and landing operations — the low-visibility precision approach authorizations. It is a useful illustration of how the whole system works, because C060 is issued across operator types: the same paragraph number is used as an OpSpec for Part 121 and Part 135 certificate holders, as an MSpec for Part 91 subpart K programs, and as an LOA for Part 91 operators (FAA guidance applies C060 to operators under parts 91, 91K, 121, 125, 129, and 135). A certificate holder authorized for C060 may conduct CAT II/III approaches no lower than the RVR minimums prescribed for the specific make, model, and series of aircraft listed in the paragraph's tables. The letter prefix tells you which document type you hold; the number (060) and its subject (CAT II/III) are the same regardless. C060 also sits on top of underlying training and currency records — the authorization is only valid while the supporting pilot qualification records remain current.
How does a new Part 135 operator get its OpSpecs?
A new operator does not apply for OpSpecs separately — they are produced as the final output of the certification process and issued together with the certificate under 14 CFR §119.5. During certification, the applicant works with the assigned FAA team (a certification project manager and the Principal Operations and Airworthiness Inspectors) through the FAA's phased certification process; the OpSpecs are drafted from the agency's standardized paragraph templates to reflect exactly the kinds of operations, areas, aircraft, and special authorizations the applicant has demonstrated it can conduct safely. Each paragraph the operator requests must be supported by the corresponding manuals, training program, and — for special authorizations like RVSM or Category II/III — the underlying evidence and any required LOA. The result is that the OpSpecs you receive on day one are a direct reflection of what you proved during certification. After issuance, adding or changing a paragraph runs through the amendment process in §119.51, which has its own filing timelines. FileFlo does not file your application or interact with the FAA; it organizes and version-tracks the resulting documents.
Does FileFlo issue, file, or amend OpSpecs, MSpecs, or LOAs?
No. FileFlo is a compliance document intelligence platform — it classifies, indexes, version-tracks, and surfaces expirations on the documents that prove your authorization status, including OpSpecs revisions, MSpecs, LOAs, and the operating-manual excerpts that must mirror your OpSpecs under 14 CFR §119.43. It does not interact with the FAA's authorization system (formerly WebOPSS, now part of the Safety Assurance System), submit amendment requests, draft your manuals, communicate with your Principal Operations Inspector, or give legal advice. Issuing and amending these instruments is the job of the FAA and your director of operations; keeping the resulting record complete, current, and audit-ready — every revision filed against the right authorization, every referenced LOA tracked to its expiration, every stale manual excerpt flagged — is the document problem FileFlo solves.
Keep every authorization provable — OpSpecs, MSpecs, and every LOA they reference
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Reviewed by Chad Griffith, Founder, FileFlo — compliance document intelligence. Last reviewed June 15, 2026. Regulatory citations verified against the Cornell Legal Information Institute eCFR (14 CFR §§119.5, 119.7, 119.43, 119.49, 91.501, 91.1015) as of publication date; C060 subject and cross-part applicability per FAA guidance (Order 8900.1 / FAA Notice N 8900.443). The A/B/C/D paragraph descriptions are an orientation to FAA paragraph conventions, not an authoritative list — confirm against your own OpSpecs, MSpecs, or LOAs and your Principal Operations Inspector.