What are Lido charts, and can you use them in a flight sim?

Lido charts are commercially licensed aeronautical charts produced by Lufthansa Systems for airline flight operations, covering en-route planning, airports, departures, arrivals and approaches. They can be used for Aviation & Real-World Flying study and home flight simulation, provided you have lawful access and check that the chart matches the simulator's navdata and scenery.

What information do Lido charts contain?

A Lido chart set contains the operational charts an airline crew needs from departure gate to destination stand. The exact selection depends on the operator's subscription and configuration, but it commonly includes:

• En-route charts and airway information
• Aerodrome, parking and taxi charts
• Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs)
• Standard Instrument Arrivals (STARs)
• Instrument approach and missed-approach procedures
• Operational notes, restrictions and applicable minima

Lido is a commercial presentation of published aeronautical data rather than a separate system of procedures. The underlying SID, STAR or approach normally comes from the relevant state aviation authority, while Lido presents it in a consistent airline-oriented format and may include customer-specific selections or information.

The chart does not supply navigation data to the simulator or aircraft. Your FMS, GPS or simulator database must contain a compatible version of the procedure.

What makes a Lido chart different?

Lido uses its own standardised layout, symbols, page organisation and method of presenting operational detail. This helps crews who fly internationally, but it also means that knowledge of FAA or Jeppesen charts does not make every Lido symbol self-explanatory.

Chart sets can also be tailored for an airline. Notes, preferred content and some operational minima may therefore reflect the customer's approval or procedures rather than being suitable for every aircraft and operator. Always use the legend supplied with that chart set instead of guessing from a familiar-looking symbol.

If the underlying terminology is unfamiliar, our guide to reading aeronautical charts in a simulator explains courses, altitude restrictions, navaids and procedure structure without assuming a particular commercial format.

Can home flight simmers legally obtain Lido charts?

Home simmers can use Lido charts when their access and licence permit it, but Lido is generally supplied to airlines and other professional operators rather than offered as an unrestricted public chart library.

Access through an employer does not automatically permit copying charts to personal devices, retaining them after access expires or sharing them with other simmers. Random PDF collections may be unlicensed, incomplete or obsolete. An old training chart can demonstrate the format, but it should not be expected to match a modern simulator database.

For real-world flying, only use an effective chart set approved for that operation. Familiarity gained in a simulator does not make an unofficial or expired copy suitable for aircraft navigation.

How do you use Lido charts in a flight simulator?

Use a Lido chart by matching its procedure and effective date to the simulator's navigation database before programming the aircraft.

1. Identify the exact chart. Check the ICAO airport code, runway, procedure name, approach type and revision or effective information. Airports with similar names and approaches with several runway or equipment variants are common traps.
2. Compare it with the FMS or GPS. Confirm that the procedure, transition and principal waypoints exist in the aircraft database. A chart and navdata cycle do not need matching labels alone; the waypoint sequence and restrictions must agree.
3. Check the scenery. An older airport add-on may have obsolete runway numbers, taxiways or parking stands even when the navigation database is newer. Work out which physical runway the chart represents before taxiing.
4. Load and verify the procedure. Select the SID, STAR or approach in the avionics, then compare every leg with the chart. Watch for vectors, manual-termination legs, discontinuities and approaches requiring equipment the simulated aircraft does not have.
5. Brief the restrictions. Note minimum and maximum altitudes, speed limits, courses, missed-approach instructions and the correct minima for the aircraft category and approach type.
6. Keep the chart visible. Use a second monitor, tablet or an aircraft EFB that accepts authorised documents. A static PDF does not need to be installed into the simulator unless that EFB specifically supports document import.

What if the Lido chart and simulator disagree?

A disagreement usually means the chart, navdata or airport scenery represents a different revision of the real airport.

• Missing procedure: use a chart and navigation database from compatible effective periods, or select a procedure present in both.
• Different waypoint or altitude: do not assume the magenta route is correct. Check for a renamed fix, amended procedure, different transition or an operator-specific note.
• Wrong runway number: the airport may have been renumbered after a magnetic variation change while the scenery remained unchanged.
• Unexpected FMS path: inspect discontinuities, vector legs and aircraft capability. Some avionics cannot reproduce every coded turn or radius-to-fix leg accurately.
• Different minima: verify the approach variant, aircraft category, pressure or radio-altimeter reference and whether the chart contains operator-specific values.

A mistake we see constantly is mixing a new chart, old scenery and unrelated FMS database, then treating whichever source looks most plausible as correct. Choose one internally consistent data period wherever possible.

Do you need Lido charts for realistic flight simulation?

No; Lido charts are useful for reproducing an airline-style workflow, but they are not required for accurate IFR simulation.

Our overview of legal chart sources and flight-simulation alternatives explains the practical choices. For US flying, our free FAA chart library provides a more accessible option. Whichever format you choose, matching the procedure to the aircraft database matters more than reproducing one airline's chart style.