- Airport or aerodrome chart
- Standard instrument departure (SID)
- Standard terminal arrival route (STAR)
- Approach chart
- Where AeroAtlas gets its charts
Charts look dense because they pack a whole procedure onto one page. Each type has a predictable layout, so once you know where to look, they read quickly.
Airport or aerodrome chart
The airport chart shows the ground: runways with their numbers, lengths and headings, taxiway names, aprons, stands and hot spots (places where pilots often make mistakes). Before you taxi, trace your route from the stand to the runway holding point with your finger.
Runway numbers are the magnetic heading divided by ten and rounded: a runway pointing 273° magnetic is runway 27. Parallel runways add L, C or R for left, centre and right.
Standard instrument departure (SID)
A SID takes you from the runway to the start of your route. Look for:
- The name you will hear in the clearance, for example
DET 2F. - The initial altitude you must stop climbing at until ATC clears you higher.
- Speed and altitude restrictions at waypoints, shown as numbers above and below a line: a line below the number means "at or above", above means "at or below", both means "exactly".
- The transition: where the SID joins your filed route.
Standard terminal arrival route (STAR)
A STAR is the mirror image: it brings you from the route to the approach. Its restrictions are the ones you plan your descent around, so read them before top of descent. See Planning the descent.
Approach chart
Approach charts follow a standard layout from top to bottom:
- Header: airport, procedure name (for example
ILS or LOC RWY 27L), frequencies, the final approach course and the missed approach instructions in words. - Plan view: the procedure from above, with the initial and intermediate fixes, holding patterns and minimum safe altitudes.
- Profile view: the procedure from the side. It shows the final approach fix, the glide path angle and the altitudes you should be at.
- Minima: the decision altitude or minimum descent altitude, and the visibility you need, for each approach category.
The single most important number on the page is the minimum. If you cannot see the runway environment at that point, you go around.
Where AeroAtlas gets its charts
US charts come straight from the FAA every AIRAC cycle and are marked with that cycle. For other countries we link to the official AIP, because most states do not allow their charts to be republished. See the airport page for the sources available.
For flight simulation and training only. Real-world procedures vary by country and operator; always follow the published charts and your local rules.
Keep reading
- How a flight comes together: The order experienced simmers prepare a flight in, from picking a route to closing the door.
- AIRAC cycles explained: Why aeronautical data changes every 28 days, how cycles are numbered, and why it matters in the simulator.