This has implications on the scope of controlled airspace surrounding the airport, as we shall see later. The airport is located at an elevation of 1716 feet MSL (above mean sea level). For our example, the 3-letter identifier is MOT, which stands for the Minot International Airport. The name of each airport is represented by an abbreviation as agreed with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The rest of the relevant information can be derived from the text located immediately at the right of the symbol. The best way to demonstrate this is through an example.įrom what we know so far, we can infer that the airport represented by the symbol has a control tower, a hard-surfaced runway greater than 8069’, and provides fuel service.
#Air navigation map series
In contrast, military airports can be easily identified as they are represented by abbreviations such as AAF (Army Air Field), NAS (Naval Air Station), and NAV (Naval Air Facility), among others.Īs for other information on a specific airport, you will need to look at the series of letters and numbers that accompany each airport symbol. Tick marks around standard airport symbols mean that fuel is available in the airport Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM For public-use airports, the following list of symbols can be used as reference: Public use airportsĪirport with hard-surfaced runway greater than 8069’ or with multiple runways less than 8069’Īirport with hard-surfaced runway between 1500’ and 8069’Īirport that does not have a hard-surfaced runway To start, the most obvious distinction to make is between airports with control towers (blue symbols) and airports with no control towers (magenta symbols). The symbols representing airports in sectional charts can also be useful in letting drone pilots know which radio frequency to monitor for air traffic updates related to particular airports. There are also different types of airports and they can be distinguished in sectional charts according to whether they have a control tower, a hard-surfaced runway, or if they have fuel availability. Airports and airport informationĪirports can be found all over sectional charts and are some of the most important points of interest. Quadrant identifiers serve as quick references when pilots are indicating specific but broad areas in the sectional charts. A quadrant is an area defined by a boundary within 30 minutes latitude and 30 minutes longitude. This is one of the most basic skills of map reading and is something that you will need to develop before you can move on to more advanced topics.įor better delineation of smaller areas in a sectional chart, the whole map is separated into quadrants. However, swapping between the two methods can be easily done.Įvery location in the world can be pinpointed by a pair of latitude and longitude readings. By default, most modern GPS systems express latitudes and longitudes using decimal notation. The more historical method uses a system of degrees, minutes (1 degree = 60 minutes), and seconds (1 minute = 60 seconds). There are two major ways in which latitude and longitude coordinates are expressed. All other latitude lines are parallel to the equator and are measured based on their relative locations. It is at the point that lies equidistant from the North and South poles and is effectively the “zero latitude”. Lying perpendicular to the prime meridian is the equator. This also acts as the “zero longitude” and is the basis for the measurement of all other longitudes, or lines that run North to South. The prime meridian is a line that runs from the North to South poles and passes through Greenwich, England. To easily remember the difference between the latitude and longitude, we must first define the location of the equator and the prime meridian. The location of every point on the planet can be determined by latitude and longitude coordinates as defined by an imaginary grid pattern. Latitude and longitudeīefore we jump into sectional charts, let’s go over the basics of reading a map. There are a lot of things to learn about sectional charts and you may get overwhelmed at first, but we’ll take it slowly and go over everything one at a time.
#Air navigation map how to
How does one go about learning how to read a sectional chart? Starting with this easy-to-understand guide that we prepared would be a great idea. For those who are looking to earn a Part 107 remote pilot certificate, reading and understanding sectional charts make up a significant chunk for the knowledge test you’ll need to pass to be certified. By developing this skill, a drone pilot gets to understand the nature of airspace hazards, topography, airport data, controlled airspace. Being able to read sectional charts is one of the more essential skills that a drone pilot should have.
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