In United States

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

, a sectional aeronautical chart, often called a sectional chart or a sectional for short, is a type of

aeronautical chart An aeronautical chart is a map designed to assist in the navigation of aircraft, much as nautical charts do for watercraft, or a roadmap does for drivers. Using these charts and other tools, pilots are able to determine their position, safe alt ...

designed for

air navigation The basic principles of air navigation are identical to general navigation, which includes the process of planning, recording, and controlling the movement of a craft from one place to another. Successful air navigation involves piloting an airc ...

under

visual flight rules In aviation, visual flight rules (VFR) is a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better tha ...

(VFR). In Australia, Canada and some other countries, the equivalent charts used for visual flight are called VFR Navigation Charts (VNCs). A sectional chart shows

topographical Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scienc ...

features that are important to

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

s, such as terrain elevations, ground features identifiable from altitude (rivers, dams, bridges, buildings, etc.), and ground features useful to pilots (

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

s, landmarks, etc.). The chart also shows information on

airspace class Airspace class is a category used to divide the sky into different zones, defined by both geographical boundaries and altitude levels. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) provides standardized airspace classifications that most co ...

es, ground-based navigation aids,

radio frequencies Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the upper ...

longitude and latitude A geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or geodetic coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest, and most widely used type of the various ...

, navigation

waypoint A waypoint is a point or place on a route or line of travel, a stopping point, an intermediate point, or point at which course is changed, the first use of the term tracing to 1880. In modern terms, it most often refers to coordinates which spe ...

s, navigation routes. Sectional charts are in 1:500,000 scale and are named for a city on the map. The

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

(FAA) in the United States publishes over 50 charts covering the

continental United States The contiguous United States, also known as the U.S. mainland, officially referred to as the conterminous United States, consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the District of Columbia of the United States in central North America. The te ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. Sectional charts are published by the National Aeronautical Navigation Services Group of the FAA. A number of commercial enterprises, notably

Jeppesen Jeppesen (also known as Jeppesen Sanderson) is an American company offering navigational information, operations planning tools, flight planning products and software. Jeppesen's aeronautical navigation Aeronautical charts, charts are often call ...

, produce compatible, certified sectionals. The sectionals are complemented by

terminal area chart In United States and Canada aviation, terminal area charts are aeronautical charts intended for navigation under Visual Flight Rules that depict areas surrounding major airports, primarily those with Class B airspace. Overview Like the VFR sect ...

s (TACs) at 1:250,000 scale for the areas around major U.S. airports, and until 2016 by

World Aeronautical Chart A World Aeronautical Chart (WAC) was a type of aeronautical chart used for navigation by pilots of moderate speed aircraft and aircraft at high altitudes in the United States. They are at a scale of 1:1,000,000 (about 1 inch = 13.7 nautical miles ...

s (WACs) at a scale of 1:1,000,000 for pilots of slower aircraft and aircraft at high altitude. Since February 2021, the charts have been updated on a 56-day publication cycle. The first sectional chart was published in 1930; in 1937 the full series of the lower 48 states was completed. These early sectional charts were smaller (most covered two degrees of latitude and six of longitude) with the map on one side; after 1950 the legend and index to adjoining charts was on the reverse. The first of the present two-sided charts appeared in the late 1960s.

External links

Sectional aeronautical charts: (United States)
– Historical charts from the Library of Congress
VFR Raster Charts
– Current charts from the FAA

References

{{Aeronautical charts Aviation in the United States Air traffic control in the United States Air navigation Aeronautical charts Visual flight rules

See also

External links

References