Aeronautical Charts

The aeronautical charts are introduced to the pilots for navigation of aircraft. With the help of this aeronautical charts the pilots are able to determine their best route to a destination, position, navigation aids along the way,alternative landing areas in case of emergency purpose & also able to know other important information like radio frequencies & airspace boundaries.

History of Aeronautical Charts:

Nautical charts production & distribution was began in 1832.At the beginning the charts are made by hand on a stone or copper plate surface that was then placed in a flat press. The impressions are made laboriously by hand which are black & white in color. In 1842, C&GS first printed charts with the help of finer definition possible by the copper plate.

Aeronautical charts are produced by the Department of Commerce to promote interstate air commerce in the year 1926.For air navigation , C&Gs produced a series of maps which was also known as Strip Airway Maps. The series of maps contain 31 charts covering the main air routes of the United States . The charts mainly contains topographic & cultural features as well as aeronautical information. The aeronautical information describe airports, beacon lights, distance, direction lines & forerunner of the railway system. The chart also shows the Radio navigation facilities.

Types of Aeronautical Charts:The aeronautical charts are subdivided accordingly their usefulness into two categories-visual flight rule chart & instrumental flight rule chart.

• Visual Flight Rule Charts:The visual flight rules gives information about possible situations of obstacles, other aircraft positions, weather forecasting etc. The visual flight route chart also gives vast information about local topography & the information about elevation. The information of the present physical features represented in the chart by standardize symbols such as mountains, shorelines & rivers. Other cultural features details also provide in the chart like roads, settlements etc. The visual flight rule chart is divided according to the scale. Mainly visual flight chart have a scale of 1:1,000,000. Visual Aeronautical charts are also subdivided into three type-

• World Aeronautical Chart:It covers the largest area & have a scale of 1:1,000,000.
• Sectional Charts:The scale of this chart is 1:500,000 & it covers a few hundred square miles of area.
• Terminal Area Charts:This charts are created for large airports & it has its own scale.
• Operational Navigation Charts:These charts are provide information outside of WAC coverage.
• Instrumental Flight Rule Chart:Instrumental flight route chart explains the artificial aids to navigation under the control of an air traffic controller which is based upon flight plane. It mainly contain the information about the electronic beacons of various types but it contain less information regarding topography. The approved airports having instrumental capabilities provide detailed information about arrival, departure & taxiing.

Usefulness of Aeronautical Chart:The aeronautical charts are very much useful for navigation purpose. With the help of aeronautical charts we can control possible accidents or damages & can save many lives. Aeronautical charts are regularly updated to provide more information about navigation.

Sources of Charts:Aeronautical charts are available at fixed based operators, Internet supply sources or catalogs of aeronautical gear. Other sources like online source , also provide information about it such as Skyvector & the FAA.