Find current UK aviation charts for flight simulation, including official AIP airport, approach, SID/STAR and VFR sources, dates and sim caveats.
For general flight simulation, get current UK aviation charts from the official UK Aeronautical Information Service (AIS). Its UK AIP contains aerodrome diagrams, instrument approaches, SIDs, STARs and en-route material. Check each chart’s effective date; printed and moving-map VFR charts may require a licensed paid product.
Use the UK AIP for airport and IFR charts
The official source for civil airport and IFR charts is the United Kingdom Aeronautical Information Publication, published through the UK AIS. It covers licensed aerodromes, airspace, radio-navigation facilities, procedures and en-route information.
Find an airport under AD 2 using its ICAO code rather than its commercial name. For example, search for the four-letter code assigned to the aerodrome, then open AD 2.24, which lists the available charts for that airport.
- Select the effective AIP edition. Avoid search-engine links to isolated PDFs because they can point to a superseded amendment.
- Open AD 2 and locate the ICAO code. The airport’s AD 2.24 section provides links to its aerodrome, parking, ground-movement and procedure charts.
- Choose the chart by its exact title. Distinguish an aerodrome chart from a parking chart, visual approach chart or instrument approach plate.
- Check the effective date and amendment. Save the complete PDF rather than an undated screenshot or cropped image.
- Compare it with the simulator. Confirm that the runway designation, ILS frequency and named procedure exist in your scenery and navigation database.
Microsoft Flight Simulator users can follow our MSFS-specific process for obtaining and using chart material. The underlying UK sources are the same for FSX, Prepar3D, X-Plane and other civil flight simulators.
Which UK chart type do I need?
The right source depends on whether you are taxiing, flying an IFR procedure, navigating cross-country under VFR or reproducing temporary real-world operations.
| Simulation task | Chart or publication | Main caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Taxiing and parking | AD 2 aerodrome, ground-movement and parking charts | Older simulator scenery may have different stands or taxiway names. |
| Flying an approach | Instrument Approach Chart | The procedure and navaids must match the simulator’s navigation database. |
| Flying a departure or arrival | SID or STAR chart | Runway transitions and waypoint sequences can change between AIRAC cycles. |
| IFR en-route navigation | AIP ENR material and en-route charts | Airways, reporting points and controlled airspace may differ in old navdata. |
| VFR cross-country flying | Official CAA VFR chart series or a licensed digital equivalent | Check the chart edition, scale and geographic coverage. |
| Military aerodromes | UK Military AIP material | Not every military procedure appears in the civil AIP. |
| Temporary operational changes | NOTAMs and AIP Supplements | The simulator may not reproduce the closure or restriction. |
If the unfamiliar part is interpreting a published departure or arrival, our explanation of how to read and fly SIDs and STARs covers route transitions, altitude constraints and runway-specific procedures.
How do I confirm that a UK chart is current?
A chart is current only when its effective date and amendment status match the active AIP information.
- Effective date: this is when the chart becomes operational, which may be later than its publication date.
- Amendment or AIRAC cycle: compare this with the edition shown in the AIP library and, for IFR flying, with the cycle installed in the simulator or aircraft.
- NOTAMs and supplements: temporary closures, withdrawn navaids and short-term restrictions may not yet be drawn on the chart.
- Saved copies: a bookmarked PDF or local download does not update itself when a replacement is issued.
A common mistake is assuming that an AIRAC update also updates charts or airport scenery. These are separate data sets; our guide to legal simulator AIRAC update options explains what navigation-data updates do and do not replace.
Why does the current chart not match my simulator?
A current real-world chart can disagree with a simulator because its scenery, navigation database and aircraft avionics may represent different dates.
- Missing or renamed taxiway: the airport scenery predates a layout change. Follow the simulated pavement while using the chart for orientation, or install scenery representing the newer layout.
- Procedure absent from the FMC: the aircraft’s navdata cycle is older than the chart. Use a procedure available in that database or update the navdata legally.
- Different runway number: magnetic variation may have caused a real runway redesignation that the scenery has not adopted.
- ILS frequency or course mismatch: verify the value stored by the simulator. Entering the real-world chart value will not create or retune a facility that the scenery or database models differently.
- Waypoint sequence differs: do not combine part of an old FMC procedure with constraints copied from a newer plate. Use one coherent procedure version.
For live-operations realism, use the newest effective chart with matching navdata and suitably updated scenery. For a historical flight or an older simulator installation, matching the chart to the represented data cycle is often more reliable than mixing the newest chart with legacy data.
Do I need to pay for UK VFR charts?
You may need a paid product for a complete UK VFR navigation chart, even though airport and IFR procedure charts are available through the AIP.
The AIP’s visual approach plates are airport-specific; they do not replace the official topographical VFR chart series. For cross-country flying, choose the appropriate official 1:500,000 or 1:250,000 chart, or a licensed digital product using equivalent data, and verify its edition before planning the route.
For simulation alone, NOTAM review is optional realism, but it explains many apparent contradictions between a valid chart and real-world operations. A downloaded official plate is also not a complete briefing for actual flight: operational use requires the applicable AIP material, supplements and NOTAMs together.