How do I read Jeppesen approach charts in a flight sim?
Learn how to read Jeppesen approach charts in a flight sim: symbols, plan and profile views, MSA, minima, missed approach and navdata checks.
To read a Jeppesen approach chart in a flight sim, confirm the airport and exact procedure, then brief the notes, frequencies, plan view, vertical profile, minima and missed approach. Match the plate to the simulator’s navigation data, follow every restriction and know whether to continue visually or go around at DA or the missed-approach point.
For our Aviation & Real-World Flying readers, Jeppesen charts used in a flight simulator carry the same procedural meaning as they do in real operations. The extra complication is that the simulator’s avionics, navigation database and scenery may represent different revisions. For real flight, use an approved current chart source and follow the applicable ATC, operator and authority procedures.
What are the main parts of a Jeppesen approach chart?
A Jeppesen approach plate arranges identification and setup information at the top, lateral routing in the plan view, vertical guidance in the profile, and landing minima near the bottom.
| Chart area | What it tells you | Frequent mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Heading and identification | Airport, location indicator, procedure title, runway, chart index and revision or effective information | Loading an ILS Y when the plate is for ILS Z, or confusing an ILS with its localiser-only version |
| Briefing strip and notes | Communications, navigation frequency and identifier, final course, key altitude, airport elevation, requirements and missed approach | Skipping an equipment, altimeter, temperature or operational restriction |
| Plan view | Transitions, fixes, courses, holds, distances, navaids and the lateral missed-approach route | Assuming the drawing is to scale or treating the MSA as a route altitude |
| Profile view | Crossing restrictions, final approach fix, glidepath or descent path, step-down fixes and missed-approach point | Descending before the relevant fix or capturing a glideslope from above |
| Minimums | DA(H) or MDA(H), approach type, aircraft category, visibility or RVR and lighting adjustments | Choosing the lowest number rather than the line for the guidance actually being flown |
The precise placement and appearance vary between chart families and editions. Jeppesen’s own symbols legend for the applicable chart set remains the controlling reference whenever a mark is unclear.
How do I read a Jeppesen approach plate from start to finish?
The safest briefing sequence is top to bottom, followed by a continuous trace from your expected transition through the approach and into the missed procedure.
- Confirm the chart identity: Check the ICAO airport indicator, airport name, runway, full procedure title and suffix. The chart index is a filing reference, not the procedure name. Also confirm that the chart and the aircraft database represent the same procedure revision; a plate’s printed date is not necessarily the same thing as an avionics AIRAC-cycle label.
- Read all applicable notes: Look for requirements involving DME, GNSS, radar, RNP capability, remote altimeter settings, temperature limits, local pressure settings, circling restrictions and unavailable components. Loading a procedure into an FMS does not prove that the simulated aircraft is authorised or equipped for every published line of minima.
- Trace the lateral route: Begin at the transition or initial approach fix you expect to use. Follow each course, waypoint, arc, procedure turn and hold to the final segment. Respect NoPT indications, and remember that a plan view is a schematic rather than a scale map.
- Read the vertical profile: Identify every minimum, maximum and mandatory crossing altitude, the final approach fix, the glidepath or descent angle, step-down fixes and the missed-approach point. Do not estimate an altitude from the drawn slope. On an ILS, intercept the glideslope from below at the published intercept altitude unless the procedure or ATC instruction requires something different.
- Set and verify the cockpit: For an ILS or localiser procedure, verify the frequency, identifier, inbound course and selected navigation source. For an RNAV procedure, confirm the waypoint sequence and that the simulated avionics provide the required lateral or vertical capability. Set the correct local pressure and minimums.
- Select the applicable minima: Use the row for the guidance actually available and the column for the applicable aircraft approach category. ILS, LOC, LPV, LNAV/VNAV and LNAV lines are not interchangeable simply because they serve the same runway.
- Brief the missed approach: State the first climb instruction, initial altitude, turn direction, route and holding fix. On a precision approach, initiate the missed approach at DA when the required visual conditions are absent; do not continue to the non-precision MAP while remaining on an unusable ILS.
A coherent chart-and-database set matters more than making the magenta line resemble the plate by trial and error. Our simulator chart and navigation-data workflow explains how to choose matching material before programming the aircraft.
What does VOTV mean in a Jeppesen chart heading?
VOTV is the ICAO location indicator for Thiruvananthapuram International Airport; TRV is its IATA code. If a simulator uses a different spelling or display name, the ICAO indicator is the better identity check. You must still verify the runway and full procedure title because VOTV alone identifies the airport, not a particular approach.
How do I use the Jeppesen approach chart legend and symbols?
Use the legend supplied for the applicable Jeppesen chart edition rather than transferring symbol assumptions from another publisher’s plates.
| Depiction or label | How to interpret it |
|---|---|
| Named fix or waypoint | Use the printed name and charted route relationship; consult the legend before deciding that an unfamiliar shape means fly-by, fly-over or compulsory reporting. |
| Course or track | This describes the required path over the ground, not necessarily the aircraft heading needed in wind. Bearings are normally magnetic unless the chart states otherwise. |
| Distance figure | Check whether it is a route-segment distance or a DME reading from a named source. Do not assume every distance is measured from the runway threshold. |
| FAF or glidepath-intercept mark | Common Jeppesen depictions include a Maltese-cross-style non-precision FAF and a lightning-bolt-style glidepath intercept point. Confirm the exact meaning against the relevant legend. |
| Missed-approach depiction | Read it together with the written missed instructions. Brief the initial climb and turn from the text rather than trying to infer them from the drawing alone. |
| MSA circle | This supplies emergency obstacle-clearance information for the stated sectors and radius; it is not part of the approach track. |
FAA and Jeppesen plates can describe the same procedure with different layouts, abbreviations and minima presentation. Our comparison of FAA and Jeppesen chart conventions shows which habits transfer and which do not.
Is the Jeppesen airport chart legend the same as the approach legend?
The Jeppesen airport chart legend covers ground features, while the approach legend covers airborne procedure information. An airport chart or aerodrome diagram shows runways, taxiways, stands, hotspots, lighting, declared distances and local ground notes. Some conventions overlap, but approach minima and profile symbols should not be interpreted through the airport-diagram legend.
Once clear of the runway, switch your attention to the airport diagram rather than continuing to taxi from the approach plate. Our guide to reading airport and ground-procedure charts in a simulator covers that separate task.
What do Jeppesen altitude markings mean?
Jeppesen’s line convention distinguishes minimum, maximum, mandatory and recommended altitudes, but only when the number is being presented as an altitude restriction.
| Marking | Usual meaning | Useful mental model |
|---|---|---|
| Line beneath the altitude | At or above; the value is a minimum altitude | The line forms a floor |
| Line above the altitude | At or below; the value is a maximum altitude | The line forms a ceiling |
| Lines above and below | Mandatory altitude | The altitude is fixed between floor and ceiling |
| Upper and lower values | Altitude window | Remain between the published limits |
| No line | Generally a recommended altitude under this convention | Verify that the number is actually a restriction |
What does an altitude mean if there is no line?
If there is no line above or below a restriction altitude, Jeppesen’s line convention generally marks it as recommended rather than at-or-above, at-or-below or mandatory. Context still matters: airport elevations, terrain figures, heights and glidepath annotations are not converted into recommended crossing altitudes merely because they lack a line.
Low-resolution screenshots can make a thin overline or underline disappear. Zoom the original chart and check its legend before treating an apparently plain altitude as advisory. The FMS constraint displayed beside a waypoint is a useful cross-check, not a replacement for the plate.
What does minimum sector altitude mean on a Jeppesen chart?
The minimum sector altitude, or MSA, provides emergency obstacle clearance within the sectors and radius printed around its stated centre point; it does not authorise descent from a cleared route.
An MSA is often based on a 25 NM radius and typically provides at least 1,000 feet of obstacle clearance, but use the radius, sectors and source-state criteria represented on the actual chart. The centre may be an airport, navaid or fix rather than your present position reference. It also does not necessarily guarantee navigation-signal reception.
Remain on the published transition and approach altitudes unless the procedure permits descent or ATC assigns another altitude. Near a sector boundary, do not choose the lower value by guesswork.
Which Jeppesen approach minimum should I use?
Use the minima for the aircraft category and guidance actually being flown, not the lowest altitude printed in the landing-minima box.
- DA(H): Decision altitude is used with approaches providing the applicable vertical guidance. If the required visual reference and other conditions are absent at DA, initiate the missed approach. DA is not an altitude at which to level off and wait.
- MDA(H): Minimum descent altitude is a floor used on many non-precision approaches. Do not descend below it without the required visual conditions. Reaching MDA does not itself end the approach; if visual conditions are still absent at the MAP, execute the missed approach.
- Parenthesised height: In DA(H) or MDA(H), the main figure is the altitude referenced to the altimeter datum. The parenthesised figure is a height above the specified runway, touchdown-zone or airport reference. It is not normally the value entered as barometric minimums unless the procedure and equipment call for a height-based setting.
- Aircraft category: Categories A to D are based on approach speed criteria, not aircraft weight labels or simulator difficulty. If the approach is flown at a speed requiring a higher category under the applicable rules, the higher-category minima may apply.
- Visibility and RVR: These are horizontal requirements and are not another form of cloud base. An approach-lighting adjustment may change the required visibility without changing DA or MDA.
Having an RNAV approach in the database does not prove that a particular add-on can produce LPV or approved barometric vertical guidance. If the cockpit supplies lateral guidance only, use the corresponding lateral-only minima rather than pretending the missing vertical mode is available.
What if the chart and flight simulator disagree?
A chart and simulator can disagree because the chart, aircraft database, hard-coded radio navigation data and visual scenery may come from different revisions.
- Different fixes or routing: Recheck the airport, transition and Y or Z suffix. If they are correct, the chart and navigation database probably represent different procedure amendments. Do not combine the convenient parts of two revisions.
- There is no magenta line to final: A VECTORS transition may intentionally leave a discontinuity because ATC is expected to provide headings. Use simulated vectors or load a suitable published transition; do not delete every discontinuity without understanding what it protects.
- Runway numbers differ: The scenery may pre-date a magnetic-variation runway renumbering. When practising the current real procedure, use matching current chart and navdata, then account for the scenery discrepancy. When operating legacy scenery solely as a simulator exercise, its radio facility data may be needed to make the depicted ILS work.
- The course differs slightly: Magnetic-model and data revisions can cause small differences. A large difference usually means the wrong airport, procedure variant, transition or localiser direction has been selected.
- The route is correct but guidance is absent: Check the tuned frequency and identifier, CDI source, front-course selection, intercept angle and whether approach mode is armed or captured. An autopilot annunciation matters more than the colour of the route line.
- The FMS offers lower minima than the aircraft can fly: Procedure availability and aircraft capability are separate questions. Select minima according to the guidance the simulated installation actually produces.
A mistake we see constantly is treating LOAD or ACTIVATE as proof that the approach has been briefed and the aircraft is ready. Those actions do not set the pressure, verify the radio identifier, choose the correct minima, clear you for the procedure or prepare the missed approach. Our practical sequence for flying an instrument approach in a simulator connects the completed chart briefing to avionics setup, capture, landing and go-around.