Why do we see "page intentionally left blank" so often in aviation related documents?

In aviation, we see the phrase "This page is intentionally left blank" quite often in documents like POHs, AIP etc. I can't remember seeing this in any other field. Why is that the case? Why do we see it that often in aviation related documents but nowhere else (anymore)? There is a good answer to a general question about this phrase on UX.SE but I'm wondering specifically about its usage in aviation related contexts, especially in an age where the main distribution channel for documents is digital distribution and not paper anymore.

5,801 2 2 gold badges 32 32 silver badges 58 58 bronze badges asked Apr 22, 2019 at 21:54 3,859 2 2 gold badges 20 20 silver badges 44 44 bronze badges

$\begingroup$ "Intentionally left blank" is used all over the place in technical documents. Intel, government contracts, reference books $\endgroup$

Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 1:04 $\begingroup$ This comment intentionally left blank. $\endgroup$ Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 11:47

$\begingroup$ You can print out digital documents and so it matters. Computers exist for printing more papers faster ;-) $\endgroup$

Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 20:49

$\begingroup$ I feel like a recent edit to this question significantly changed the meaning of this question; I've edited it again to try to change the meaning back to what the original poster intended. (The edit I'm talking about changed the meaning from "Why is the phrase 'this page intentionally left blank' used?" to "Why are there blank pages?") $\endgroup$

Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 13:07

$\begingroup$ It's not just in aviation. The same thing can be found in official documentation from many governments and industries. It assures the reader that the page was not accidentally left blank (e.g., because of a printing error or a collation error). $\endgroup$

Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 17:05

2 Answers 2

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I've worked as a technical writer on flight and maintenance manuals in a previous life. It's done with technical publications where there is a kind of quasi-legal status you might say, insofar as the information published is required for operation or maintenance, is invalid for use if not up to date, and where pages are revised, numbered and dated with a List of Effective Pages (LOEP) that goes at the front, that confirms the issue date of each page.

It provides a ready confirmation that a blank page is not a misprint (even as a PDF or other electronic format), saving the reader from having to check against the LOEP to make sure there isn't a missing page every time a blank page appears at the end of a section.