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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 altitude, best route to a destination, navigation aids along the way, alternative landing areas in case of an in-flight emergency, and other useful ...
En-route charts are divided into high and low versions, with information on airways and navaids for high- and low-altitude flight, respectively. The division between low altitude and high altitude is usually defined as the altitude that marks transition to flight levels (in the United States, this is taken to be 18,000 feet MSL by convention).
Sectional charts are in 1:500,000 scale and are named for a city on the map. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States publishes over 50 charts covering the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Sectional charts are published by the National Aeronautical Navigation Services Group of the FAA.
Instrument flight rules (IFR) navigation is similar to visual flight rules (VFR) flight planning except that the task is generally made simpler by the use of special charts that show IFR routes from beacon to beacon with the lowest safe altitude (LSALT), bearings (in both directions), and distance marked for each route.
FAA-Terminal Area Chart Baltimore-Washington from 2011. Like the VFR sectional charts that they complement, terminal area charts depict topographic features and other information of interest to aviators flying visually, including major landmarks, terrain elevations, visual navigation routes, ground-based navigation aids, airports, rivers, cities, and airspace boundaries.
The charts are published "in accordance with Interagency Air Cartographic Committee specifications and agreements, approved by the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration". The legend of an aeronautical chart lists many of the symbols, colors and codes used to convey information to the map reader.
Flight Traffic Mapping uses animation to depict flight traffic. The mapping of flights [ 1 ] in real-time is based on a sophisticated air traffic control system that was developed for North America. The air traffic control system is a complex combination of electronics and people that helps guide planes from departure to destination.
VOR-based routes are depicted in black on low and high altitude charts produced by the FAA's Aeronautical Navigation Products. With the invention of RNAV routes, airway structure no longer has to be based on ground-based navaids; a new naming convention is used. RNAV routes not based on VOR routes in low altitudes are preceded with the letter ...