Charts: sectionals, airport data, obstacles, and latitude/longitude
The short version
- Paired with Airspace, this is the highest-yield chapter on the exam. The instructor notes the PHAK is weak on chart reading, which is why he spends so long on it.
- Sectional 1:500,000 is the working chart, valid 56 days. Terminal Area Charts (1:250,000) zoom into Class B. World Aeronautical 1:1,000,000, valid one year.
- Airport colour tells you tower status - BLUE is towered, MAGENTA is non-towered. The symbol INSIDE the circle tells you runway type and length.
- Obstacle data always shows two numbers - the TOP in MSL above, and the HEIGHT AGL in parentheses below. Subtract to get the ground elevation at its base.
- Latitude and longitude lines are drawn every 30 minutes with one-minute tick marks; decimal degrees in a question must be converted by multiplying the decimal by 6.
The concepts
The three VFR chart types 0:03:32
Sectional (1:500,000, valid 56 days), Terminal Area Chart (1:250,000, valid 56 days), and World Aeronautical Chart (1:1,000,000, valid one year).
The sectional is the working chart and the one used on the exam.
TACs exist only around Class B airspace, marked on the sectional by a white box.
Sectionals used to be valid six months; the cycle is now 56 days.
IFR charts carry no topography because instrument pilots are not looking outside.
The stronger you are with the charts, the better your score is going to be on the exam.0:00:00
What lives in the chart margins 0:09:20
The chart border carries the legend, the effective date, tower and ATIS frequencies, and the special use airspace table.
The LEGEND decodes every symbol - airports, obstructions, airspace, nav aids. It is reproduced in the exam testing supplement.
The special use airspace panel lists each area's floor, ceiling, times of use and CONTROLLING AGENCY - that is how you find out whether a MOA or restricted area is active.
The tower frequency panel gives operating hours, ground, tower and ATIS.
Topography and the Maximum Elevation Figure 0:12:11
Terrain is shown by relief shading and colour banding, with the colour scale defined per chart. The MEF is the highest elevation - terrain OR obstacle - within a latitude/longitude quadrant, printed in thousands and hundreds of feet.
The colour scale is chart-specific. Arizona's runs to 12,633 ft (Humphreys Peak); a Florida chart tops out around 720 ft.
MEF is rounded UP with a margin added; the rounding rule differs for natural versus man-made obstacles.
'12.5' means 12,500 ft. It is the lowest altitude that guarantees clearance within that quadrant.
The quadrants are bounded by the latitude and longitude lines - the same 30-minute grid used for coordinates.
Airport symbology 0:15:58
BLUE airports have a control tower; MAGENTA airports do not. The symbol inside the circle describes the runway.
Hard-surface runway 1,500-8,069 ft - runway drawn inside a circle. The odd 8,069 figure is simply what fits the circle at chart scale.
Longer than 8,069 ft - the actual runway layout is drawn, correctly oriented.
Empty circle - a surface other than hard, typically grass.
Octagon inside - private airport (also marked PVT); permission required.
U = unverified, H = heliport, anchor = seaplane base, F = ultralight, crossed out = abandoned/closed.
Tick marks around the circle mean fuel available; a small star means a rotating beacon.
Blue usually implies controlled airspace and therefore authorization - but a magenta airport inside Class E to the surface also needs it.
If it has a control tower then it's going to be in blue.0:15:58
Reading the airport data block 0:19:13
The text beside an airport follows a fixed order - identifier, tower or CTAF frequencies, ATIS/AWOS, field elevation, lighting, longest runway, Unicom, and any non-standard traffic pattern.
CT followed by a frequency = control tower. A star after it means PART-TIME operation - the airspace reverts when the tower closes.
C in a box = CTAF, the frequency for position reports at non-towered fields or when the tower is closed.
ATIS (towered) or AWOS/ASOS (non-towered) gives weather.
Field elevation is in feet MSL; L means lighting, and a star on the L means lighting limitations exist.
The runway figure is the longest runway in HUNDREDS of feet - '76' means 7,600 ft.
'RP' entries mark RIGHT traffic patterns for specific runways. Anything not listed uses the standard LEFT pattern.
Isogonic lines and magnetic variation 0:36:20
Dashed magenta lines labelled in degrees East or West showing the difference between true north and magnetic north at that location.
Written like "11 degrees 30 minutes East".
Easily confused with dashed magenta Class E at the surface - but isogonic lines run straight across the chart and carry a degree value.
Obstacles and how to read their two numbers 0:36:20
Obstacles carry the top elevation in feet MSL, and directly beneath it in parentheses the height in feet AGL. Subtracting gives the ground elevation at the base.
Symbols - single tower under 1,000 ft AGL, taller symbol for 1,000 ft AGL and above, a distinct wind-turbine symbol, and grouped versions for multiple obstructions.
Lightning-bolt marks above the symbol mean the obstacle is LIGHTED.
UC means under construction.
This ties directly to 107.51 - within a 400 ft radius of a structure you may fly to 400 ft above its uppermost limit, but only in UNCONTROLLED airspace.
Worked example - a 1,149 ft AGL tower allows operation to 1,549 ft AGL under the structure exception.
Other symbols worth knowing 0:39:35
VFR checkpoints, parachute areas, special activity, stadiums, power lines, populated areas and terrain features.
VFR CHECKPOINTS (flag or star) mark visual reference points - expect CONVERGING manned traffic there.
Parachute symbol = jump activity. Glider-shaped symbols with letters inside mark aerobatic (A), hang gliding, ultralight or UAS activity.
Stadiums are drawn as a diamond - remember the 3 NM / 3,000 ft AGL stadium TFR.
Power lines and aerial cables are charted; check them in preflight.
YELLOW shading marks densely populated areas - relevant to flight over people.
Blue-dotted lakes are perennial (sometimes dry); dry lakes are labelled.
Lake surface elevations are printed for seaplane pilots.
Latitude and longitude fundamentals 1:03:23
Latitude lines run parallel to the equator (0 to 90 degrees North or South). Longitude meridians run pole to pole from the Greenwich prime meridian (0 to 180 degrees East or West). Each degree is 60 minutes; each minute is 60 seconds.
Memory aid - latitude is two letters from altitude, and both measure up and down.
In the continental US, latitude increases going NORTH and longitude increases going WEST.
Reading coordinates off a sectional 1:07:23
Major latitude and longitude lines are drawn every 30 MINUTES, with thicker tick marks at 5- or 10-minute intervals and a tick for every single minute.
Find the nearest labelled line, then count tick marks toward your point.
Longitude values INCREASE westward; latitude values INCREASE northward.
Worked example - Gainesville Regional at 29 degrees 42 minutes North, 82 degrees 16 minutes West.
Cross-check any answer against the Chart Supplement, which lists exact airport coordinates.
Converting decimal degrees to minutes 1:21:07
When a question gives coordinates as a decimal (46.9 North), the decimal is a FRACTION OF A DEGREE, not minutes. Multiply the decimal digit by 6 to convert to minutes.
46.9 -> 9 x 6 = 54, so 46 degrees 54 minutes.
98.6 -> 6 x 6 = 36, so 98 degrees 36 minutes.
The logic - decimals are base 10, minutes are base 60, so one tenth of a degree is 6 minutes.
Sanity check the result - 0.9 of a degree should land near the next whole degree.
Chart question technique 1:01:34
Chart questions usually require locating a feature in a large figure, then reading one specific value from it.
Half the work is FINDING the named feature; questions point you to a numbered area.
Eliminate impossible answers first - the National Park Service does not authorize airspace, only the FAA does.
Obstacle height questions hinge on picking the MSL figure or the AGL figure - read which the question wants.
Weather source depends on tower status - ATIS at towered fields, AWOS/ASOS at non-towered.
Zoom the exam figure rather than guessing; a magnifying glass is permitted.
Every concept, three clicks deep
The same concepts as a quick reference: the closed row is the glance, open is the study card, and every timestamp jumps into the recording.
01The three VFR chart typesSectional (1:500,000, valid 56 days), Terminal Area Chart (1:250,000, valid 56 days), and World Aeronautica…0:03:32›
Sectional (1:500,000, valid 56 days), Terminal Area Chart (1:250,000, valid 56 days), and World Aeronautical Chart (1:1,000,000, valid one year).
The sectional is the working chart and the one used on the exam.
TACs exist only around Class B airspace, marked on the sectional by a white box.
Sectionals used to be valid six months; the cycle is now 56 days.
IFR charts carry no topography because instrument pilots are not looking outside.
02What lives in the chart marginsThe chart border carries the legend, the effective date, tower and ATIS frequencies, and the special use ai…0:09:20›
The chart border carries the legend, the effective date, tower and ATIS frequencies, and the special use airspace table.
The LEGEND decodes every symbol - airports, obstructions, airspace, nav aids. It is reproduced in the exam testing supplement.
The special use airspace panel lists each area's floor, ceiling, times of use and CONTROLLING AGENCY - that is how you find out whether a MOA or restricted area is active.
The tower frequency panel gives operating hours, ground, tower and ATIS.
03Topography and the Maximum Elevation FigureTerrain is shown by relief shading and colour banding, with the colour scale defined per chart.0:12:11›
Terrain is shown by relief shading and colour banding, with the colour scale defined per chart. The MEF is the highest elevation - terrain OR obstacle - within a latitude/longitude quadrant, printed in thousands and hundreds of feet.
The colour scale is chart-specific. Arizona's runs to 12,633 ft (Humphreys Peak); a Florida chart tops out around 720 ft.
MEF is rounded UP with a margin added; the rounding rule differs for natural versus man-made obstacles.
'12.5' means 12,500 ft. It is the lowest altitude that guarantees clearance within that quadrant.
The quadrants are bounded by the latitude and longitude lines - the same 30-minute grid used for coordinates.
04Airport symbologyBLUE airports have a control tower;0:15:58›
BLUE airports have a control tower; MAGENTA airports do not. The symbol inside the circle describes the runway.
Hard-surface runway 1,500-8,069 ft - runway drawn inside a circle. The odd 8,069 figure is simply what fits the circle at chart scale.
Longer than 8,069 ft - the actual runway layout is drawn, correctly oriented.
Empty circle - a surface other than hard, typically grass.
Octagon inside - private airport (also marked PVT); permission required.
U = unverified, H = heliport, anchor = seaplane base, F = ultralight, crossed out = abandoned/closed.
Tick marks around the circle mean fuel available; a small star means a rotating beacon.
Blue usually implies controlled airspace and therefore authorization - but a magenta airport inside Class E to the surface also needs it.
05Reading the airport data blockThe text beside an airport follows a fixed order - identifier, tower or CTAF frequencies, ATIS/AWOS, field…0:19:13›
The text beside an airport follows a fixed order - identifier, tower or CTAF frequencies, ATIS/AWOS, field elevation, lighting, longest runway, Unicom, and any non-standard traffic pattern.
CT followed by a frequency = control tower. A star after it means PART-TIME operation - the airspace reverts when the tower closes.
C in a box = CTAF, the frequency for position reports at non-towered fields or when the tower is closed.
ATIS (towered) or AWOS/ASOS (non-towered) gives weather.
Field elevation is in feet MSL; L means lighting, and a star on the L means lighting limitations exist.
The runway figure is the longest runway in HUNDREDS of feet - '76' means 7,600 ft.
'RP' entries mark RIGHT traffic patterns for specific runways. Anything not listed uses the standard LEFT pattern.
07Isogonic lines and magnetic variationDashed magenta lines labelled in degrees East or West showing the difference between true north and magneti…0:36:20›
Dashed magenta lines labelled in degrees East or West showing the difference between true north and magnetic north at that location.
Written like "11 degrees 30 minutes East".
Easily confused with dashed magenta Class E at the surface - but isogonic lines run straight across the chart and carry a degree value.
08Obstacles and how to read their two numbersObstacles carry the top elevation in feet MSL, and directly beneath it in parentheses the height in feet AGL.0:36:20›
Obstacles carry the top elevation in feet MSL, and directly beneath it in parentheses the height in feet AGL. Subtracting gives the ground elevation at the base.
Symbols - single tower under 1,000 ft AGL, taller symbol for 1,000 ft AGL and above, a distinct wind-turbine symbol, and grouped versions for multiple obstructions.
Lightning-bolt marks above the symbol mean the obstacle is LIGHTED.
UC means under construction.
This ties directly to 107.51 - within a 400 ft radius of a structure you may fly to 400 ft above its uppermost limit, but only in UNCONTROLLED airspace.
Worked example - a 1,149 ft AGL tower allows operation to 1,549 ft AGL under the structure exception.
09Other symbols worth knowingVFR checkpoints, parachute areas, special activity, stadiums, power lines, populated areas and terrain feat…0:39:35›
VFR checkpoints, parachute areas, special activity, stadiums, power lines, populated areas and terrain features.
VFR CHECKPOINTS (flag or star) mark visual reference points - expect CONVERGING manned traffic there.
Parachute symbol = jump activity. Glider-shaped symbols with letters inside mark aerobatic (A), hang gliding, ultralight or UAS activity.
Stadiums are drawn as a diamond - remember the 3 NM / 3,000 ft AGL stadium TFR.
Power lines and aerial cables are charted; check them in preflight.
YELLOW shading marks densely populated areas - relevant to flight over people.
Blue-dotted lakes are perennial (sometimes dry); dry lakes are labelled.
Lake surface elevations are printed for seaplane pilots.
10Latitude and longitude fundamentalsLatitude lines run parallel to the equator (0 to 90 degrees North or South).1:03:23›
Latitude lines run parallel to the equator (0 to 90 degrees North or South). Longitude meridians run pole to pole from the Greenwich prime meridian (0 to 180 degrees East or West). Each degree is 60 minutes; each minute is 60 seconds.
Memory aid - latitude is two letters from altitude, and both measure up and down.
In the continental US, latitude increases going NORTH and longitude increases going WEST.
11Reading coordinates off a sectionalMajor latitude and longitude lines are drawn every 30 MINUTES, with thicker tick marks at 5- or 10-minute i…1:07:23›
Major latitude and longitude lines are drawn every 30 MINUTES, with thicker tick marks at 5- or 10-minute intervals and a tick for every single minute.
Find the nearest labelled line, then count tick marks toward your point.
Longitude values INCREASE westward; latitude values INCREASE northward.
Worked example - Gainesville Regional at 29 degrees 42 minutes North, 82 degrees 16 minutes West.
Cross-check any answer against the Chart Supplement, which lists exact airport coordinates.
12Converting decimal degrees to minutesWhen a question gives coordinates as a decimal (46.9 North), the decimal is a FRACTION OF A DEGREE, not min…1:21:07›
When a question gives coordinates as a decimal (46.9 North), the decimal is a FRACTION OF A DEGREE, not minutes. Multiply the decimal digit by 6 to convert to minutes.
46.9 -> 9 x 6 = 54, so 46 degrees 54 minutes.
98.6 -> 6 x 6 = 36, so 98 degrees 36 minutes.
The logic - decimals are base 10, minutes are base 60, so one tenth of a degree is 6 minutes.
Sanity check the result - 0.9 of a degree should land near the next whole degree.
13Chart question techniqueChart questions usually require locating a feature in a large figure, then reading one specific value from it.1:01:34›
Chart questions usually require locating a feature in a large figure, then reading one specific value from it.
Half the work is FINDING the named feature; questions point you to a numbered area.
Eliminate impossible answers first - the National Park Service does not authorize airspace, only the FAA does.
Obstacle height questions hinge on picking the MSL figure or the AGL figure - read which the question wants.
Weather source depends on tower status - ATIS at towered fields, AWOS/ASOS at non-towered.
Zoom the exam figure rather than guessing; a magnifying glass is permitted.
Tools referenced
| Tool | Coverage | Moment | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| SkyVector | demonstrated | 0:00:00 | Free interactive sectionals, TACs and world charts with weather and TFR overlays. |
| Google Earth | demonstrated | 0:00:00 | Used in the lesson to demonstrate the latitude/longitude grid in three dimensions. |
| Chart Supplement | demonstrated | 0:00:00 | Exact airport coordinates, frequencies, and part-time tower reversion notes. |
| FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide | mentioned | 0:00:00 | Free PDF decoding every chart symbol. The instructor recommends it because the PHAK's chart coverage is thin. Half covers IFR charts you can ignore. |
| FAA digital chart downloads | mentioned | 0:00:00 | Higher zoom than SkyVector for detailed study. |
Session materials
Archived locally on V: — click to open. Companion pages link to the LMS.
Action items
Resources mentioned
Extraction notes
This page was built from an auto-generated transcript, which garbles product and people's names. Those were corrected silently in everything above and logged here for transparency. The warnings flag claims that were true on the recording day but change fast.
Transcript corrections applied
| The transcript says | The trainer actually means |
|---|---|
| FA / EFA | FAA |
| p-hack / PHAC | PHAK (Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge) |
| AIDIS / ADIZ (in airport-data context) | ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) - distinct from the ADIZ air defense identification zone discussed in the airspace section |
| a was / AWAS | AWOS (Automated Weather Observing System) |
| calm / comb | the hatched comb-like boundary symbol for special use airspace |
| L means lightning | L means LIGHTING (runway lights) |
| periannual lake | perennial lake |
| line of variation / isogonic | correct as heard |
| 8069 feet / 8600 feet | 8,069 ft is the correct breakpoint for the circled runway symbol |
| Lake Droumont | a chart place name garbled by ASR; treat chart proper nouns as unreliable |
| Deschler / 6 Delta 7 | airport identifier read from the figure; verify against the chart |
| su distraction | subtraction |
| 84 degrees 34 minutes ... 81 degrees 41 minutes | example coordinates read from a slide; latitude above 84 N would not be in Florida, so treat this specific example as garbled |
True on recording day — verify before relying
- Sectionals are valid 56 days, having previously been six months. - STATUS: CURRENT as taught, but confirm the present cycle - chart cycles have been revised before.
- Specific chart examples (Phoenix, Miami, Jacksonville, Las Vegas sectionals). - STATUS: Chart data changes every cycle. Use them as technique examples only, never as current airspace information.
- The instructor's 2008 paper Miami sectional is used as a prop. - STATUS: Explicitly historical - he notes the information has changed but the format has not.
- Terminal Area Charts exist only around Class B. - STATUS: STABLE, but the specific list of TAC coverage areas changes.