All aeroplanes should imho have a flight manual / POH / pilots notes (the terms are effectively interchangeable in most cases).
Problem is far too many organisations, even syndicates, seem to regard them as privileged information. In my opinion at-least nobody should be going near an aircraft until they have read the APPROVED flight manual - not some mickey mouse copy by AFE that doesn't cover emergencies, the specific equipment installed and probably refers to a subtly different version with different performance figures.
I'm amazed it's one thing CAA/PFA/BMAA have never really cracked down on - although I think checking it's there is part of the permit /CofA revalidation inspection.
I once screwed up and bent an aeroplane that I'd been flying for a month or so. At the time of my accident I was still trying to get access to the handling section of the POH. I will never know if it contributed to the accident, but the way I was flying it at the time was
(a) As I had been briefed and checked out
(b) Differently to advised by the POH.
And the instructor who checked me out hadn't read the manual either because I remember asking him at the time. (I now own my own which I bought privately, for the same aeroplane, and have certainly read it now!).
It may be legally shaky from a copyright viewpoint, but I am firmly of the opinion that any club / syndicate / organisation that runs aeroplanes should be providing copies of APPROVED operators manuals to its pilots. But, very very few do.
P