Great Guys.
That's exactly what I thought it was. It's kind of the same thing as with "demonstrated" values. Up to the caution imbalance one is within reasonable limits. Once outside the normal imbalance that would be an emergency case with all the implications as stated above.
From the flying point of view I was just interested if there is a requirement to demonstrate in flight the maximum imbalance.
Obviously on an operational side one would try to fly to a place offering the best runway/wind combination, land with the least possible flap setting and the highest possible speed for controllability.
I have personally flown an aircraft with 60 % over the AFM limit imbalance. 1'000 kg instead of 680 kg, at some point 1'200 kg in flight. As it was an anhedral wing the moment arm of the imbalance gets shorter vs. the actual aircraft which is conventional dehedral where the moment arm increases with imbalance.
The actual case required some 10% of possible aileron trim, so I guess that landing that aircraft with one wing tank empty would be possible within reasonable limits.
Someone with experience about the limits. e.g. for a 737 one empty, one full?
From flight testing?