How do you read aeronautical charts for flight simulation?

To read aeronautical charts for Aviation & Real-World Flying practice or flight simulation, first identify the chart type, edition, units and orientation; then decode airports, airspace, navaids, routes, altitudes and frequencies from its legend. Transfer only the details your flight needs, and cross-check procedures against the aircraft’s navigation database.

Which aeronautical chart should you use?

The correct chart depends on the phase of flight and whether you are flying under visual or instrument rules. Trying to plan an entire flight from one chart usually hides information that appears only at a larger scale.

Chart symbols and layouts vary between publishers and countries, so the legend printed for that chart series takes priority over a symbol remembered from somewhere else. If you do not yet have the required plates or diagrams, see our guidance on finding suitable airport charts for simulation.

How do you read an aeronautical chart step by step?

Read the chart from identification and orientation through to the lateral route, vertical profile and contingency instructions.

1. Confirm the chart identity. Check the airport identifier, procedure or chart name, runway, revision information and effective period. A chart for the correct airport but the wrong runway or procedure variant can look deceptively plausible.
2. Establish orientation, scale and units. Find the north indication and determine whether courses are magnetic or true. Check whether altitude and elevation figures use feet or metres, and whether distances are nautical miles or another stated unit.
3. Open the legend. Use it to identify aerodrome symbols, controlled airspace, obstacles, fixes, radio aids and restricted areas. Do not assume colours or line styles have a universal meaning.
4. Locate the start and destination. On a VFR chart, mark the route between recognisable features and aerodromes. On an IFR chart, find the departure point, airway entry, successive fixes and airway exit.
5. Trace the lateral route in order. Record each fix, airway, published course and leg distance. On a procedure chart, verify the selected runway transition and any instruction such as vectors, direct routing or a required turn.
6. Build the vertical picture. Separate terrain and obstacle elevations from minimum route altitudes, crossing restrictions, sector altitudes and approach minima. Not every altitude printed on a chart is an altitude you should fly.
7. Collect the required frequencies. Distinguish communication frequencies such as ATIS, ground and tower from VOR, NDB or ILS frequencies. Pair an ILS frequency with the published final approach course rather than relying on automatic tuning alone.
8. Brief the ending and escape route. For an approach, read the plan view, profile and minima together, then brief the missed approach. For VFR flying, identify controlled-airspace boundaries, high terrain, alternates and places where visual navigation could become ambiguous.

What do aeronautical chart symbols and numbers mean?

Chart symbols represent physical features, airspace, navigation facilities and procedural instructions, while nearby numbers provide courses, frequencies, distances, elevations or restrictions.

• Courses and bearings: These normally refer to the convention stated on the chart, commonly magnetic but not universally so. A runway number is a rounded magnetic designation, not an exact heading to copy into the autopilot.
• Distances: Aviation routes usually use nautical miles, but confirm the chart units before measuring an unlabelled line.
• Altitudes: A number may be an aerodrome elevation, obstacle height, minimum en-route altitude, procedure restriction or minimum safe altitude. Its position, box, line and accompanying abbreviation determine its purpose.
• Fixes: Named intersections may be defined by coordinates, radio-navigation radials or RNAV data. A symbol by itself does not prove that the fix is stored in an older simulator database.
• VOR and NDB symbols: The chart may show an identifier, frequency and Morse identification beside the station. Our VOR and NDB navigation guide explains how to turn that chart information into instrument indications.
• Airspace boundaries: Read the class, upper limit, lower limit and operating notes together. A boundary line without its altitude limits does not tell you whether your planned level enters that airspace.

A mistake we see constantly is reading every prominent number as a restriction. Always identify what the figure belongs to before entering it in the FMS or altitude selector.

How do you put a charted route into the simulator?

Enter the route in the same sequence shown by the charts, then compare every programmed leg with the printed procedure before departure.

• Start with the departure airport and runway, followed by the SID and its transition where applicable.
• Add en-route airways and fixes in order rather than entering only the origin and destination.
• Select the STAR, arrival transition, approach and runway expected for the weather and direction of landing.
• Check the resulting leg list for missing fixes, unexpected direct legs, course reversals and altitude constraints.
• Set navigation frequencies, barometric reference and approach minima where the aircraft requires manual entry.

SID and STAR plates contain details that a route line alone cannot show, including climb gradients, conditional restrictions and transition notes. We cover those elements separately in our walkthrough of SID and STAR chart reading.

A moving-map planner is useful for checking that the programmed route follows the expected fixes, airways and procedure geometry. For a practical workflow, see how to inspect routes, navaids and aircraft position with Little Navmap. Treat the map as a cross-check rather than a replacement for procedure notes and minima.

Why does the chart not match the simulator or FMS?

Chart and simulator disagreements usually come from mismatched navigation data, older scenery, the wrong procedure transition or confusion between magnetic and true values.

• Navigation database mismatch: A renamed or added fix may produce NOT IN DATABASE, while an amended procedure may have different legs or restrictions. Use charts and aircraft navigation data from compatible revision periods where possible.
• Scenery mismatch: Runways and taxiways can be renumbered, extended or rebuilt in real life while older scenery still depicts the previous layout. Follow the labels physically shown in the simulator when taxiing, but recognise that they may not match a newer airport diagram.
• Wrong transition: Two versions of the same procedure can begin at different fixes or serve different runways. Check the full procedure and transition names in the FMS.
• Intentional discontinuity: A DISCONTINUITY can represent radar vectors or a manual leg. Do not close it automatically without reading the charted instruction.
• Unsupported procedure coding: Simpler GPS and FMS units may omit holds, radius-to-fix legs, conditional turns or altitude constraints. Fly the missing element manually only when you understand the charted geometry.
• Pressure or unit error: Incorrect QNH, feet-versus-metres confusion or an early change to standard pressure can make the aircraft appear vertically displaced despite following the entered altitude.

Never replace a missing waypoint with a similarly named nearby fix just to clear an error message. Confirm its identity and location, choose matching data, or select a procedure that the simulator and chart both represent.

Can simulator charts be used for real flying?

Simulator charts, archived plates and moving-map data must not be used as the sole source for real-world navigation. Actual flight requires authorised, in-date charts and navigation data, the applicable operating rules, and a complete weather and NOTAM briefing; simulation material is suitable only for practice and familiarisation.