B...dhc , like everything in aviation ..it's not a black and white answer .
I started in '73 on BEA Tridents , the Flight Manual [ and lots of 1 mil topos] were carried .
Some time before Dec '85 , permission was given to leave the very heavy Flight Manual in BA records office . They are individual a/c specific , much like light a/cs POH.
ETOPs , the FLYING Manual is not the same as Flight Man.. and yes a full complement of paper manuals was on board when I retired in '09 .
Individual memory sticks had just been issued with manuals on them .
rgds condor