How do I read SID and STAR charts in a flight simulator?

To read SID and STAR charts in a flight simulator, confirm the airport, chart revision, runway, procedure and transition, then trace every fix in flying order. Brief all altitude, speed, climb and equipment restrictions, read the notes and textual route, and compare the complete procedure with the FMS before using it.

For Aviation & Real-World Flying, the applicable published procedure and ATC clearance determine the intended route—not whichever magenta line the simulator generates. The same principle applies across modern flight simulators and aircraft add-ons, although their navigation databases and ability to fly specialised leg types differ.

What do SID, STAR and SID/STAR mean?

A SID is a Standard Instrument Departure, while STAR commonly means Standard Terminal Arrival Route; ICAO terminology also describes it as a standard instrument arrival. SID/STAR refers to both procedure types. The search phrasing “SID e STAR” simply means “SID and STAR” in languages including Italian and Portuguese.

A procedure can contain several runway branches and transitions under one name. If no ATC service is assigning them, use our procedure-selection checklist for matching the runway, route fixes and aircraft capability rather than accepting the simulator planner’s first suggestion.

How do you read a SID or STAR chart step by step?

Read the chart from identification and applicability through to the route, constraints and notes, always following the procedure in the direction the aircraft will fly.

1. Confirm the chart identity. Check the airport name and ICAO code, procedure title, procedure number, revision or effective date, and whether it is a departure or arrival. A new number after the same base name usually identifies a revised procedure, not an interchangeable copy.
2. Read the notes before tracing the line. Look for runway limitations, aircraft categories, noise-abatement instructions, required navigation performance and equipment such as RNAV, RNP or GNSS. A basic simulator GPS may contain the fixes but still be unable to reproduce every coded turn or intercept.
3. Find the correct runway branch and transition. Start a SID at the departure runway and follow it outwards. Start a STAR at the cleared arrival transition or entry fix and follow it towards the terminal area. Never combine convenient-looking sections from different branches.
4. Trace every fix in sequence. Read fix names, tracks, courses and distances in flying order. A heading instruction is not the same as a course to a fix, and a DME value may show distance from a named station rather than the length of the drawn leg.
5. Identify how each leg terminates. The aircraft may need to fly to a fix, altitude, radial, DME distance or manual termination. Heading-to-intercept, course-to-altitude, radius-to-fix and vector legs can behave differently in simplified avionics.
6. Mark every altitude and speed constraint. Distinguish at, at or above, at or below, and altitude-window restrictions. Check whether a number is an altitude or flight level and whether a speed is mandatory, maximum or advisory under that chart’s convention.
7. Check the vertical profile and textual description. The plan view is not the whole procedure. Text often clarifies initial headings, turn conditions, intercepts, ATC-assigned segments and instructions after the final depicted fix.
8. Cross-check the clearance and FMS. Compare the procedure name, runway, transition, fix order and constraints. A plausible line on the navigation display is not proof that the route is correct.

Publisher layouts and symbols differ. When the chart header, minima panels or plan-view notation are unfamiliar, use our guidance on matching an airport procedure chart to the runway, procedure and navigation data.

How do SID and STAR altitude restrictions work?

Altitude restrictions define where the aircraft must cross a fix, but they do not automatically authorise a climb or descent beyond the level cleared by ATC.

• At: cross at the stated altitude or flight level.
• At or above: do not cross below the stated value.
• At or below: do not cross above the stated value.
• Window: cross between the published upper and lower limits.

Do not mistake a minimum sector altitude, minimum safe altitude or terrain figure for a crossing restriction. Those values provide obstacle-clearance information for a defined area; they are not automatically inserted as FMS constraints.

Published speed restrictions are commonly maximum speeds unless the chart or associated rules say otherwise. The FMS can display a correct restriction while the aircraft is too high, too fast or configured poorly to meet it. On a STAR, review the descent profile before top of descent rather than waiting for VNAV to expose an impossible energy problem.

What does a SID climb gradient mean?

A published climb gradient states the minimum height gain per nautical mile, not a fixed vertical speed. Convert it using groundspeed × gradient ÷ 60.

For example, a requirement of 300 ft/NM at 150 knots groundspeed needs approximately 750 feet per minute. Recalculate as groundspeed rises; indicated airspeed is not the correct input. Also check whether the gradient applies to a stated altitude, fix or the entire depicted segment.

A simulator aircraft may follow the lateral SID perfectly while failing its obstacle assumptions because it cannot maintain the required gradient. Reduce mass, use the correct take-off configuration or choose another procedure when performance is inadequate.

How should I load and verify a SID or STAR in the FMS?

Load the exact runway, named procedure and transition, then inspect the resulting legs one by one against the chart before activating or executing them.

1. Establish the runway. Use weather, ATIS and the ATC clearance where available. Do not assume the runway selected automatically by the flight planner remains valid.
2. Select the named procedure. Choose the SID or STAR identified in the clearance or planning decision, not merely the first similarly named entry.
3. Select the runway branch and transition. Confirm both fields. Some avionics ask for the runway first; others build the transition and runway connection in a different order.
4. Compare the legs page with the chart. Verify every fix, leg type, altitude and speed. Use the map as a second check because loops and duplicated fixes are often easier to spot graphically.
5. Inspect discontinuities. Decide whether each gap represents an expected vector/manual leg or an actual break created by incompatible selections.
6. Check the vertical plan. Confirm the SID’s initial or top altitude where applicable and make sure the STAR descent is achievable without excessive speedbrake use or a rushed descent.
7. Repeat the check after changes. A new runway, approach or transition can introduce duplicate fixes, route reversals and obsolete constraints.

For aircraft-specific entry order and checks, follow our practical FMC loading and legs-page verification process.

Why do the chart and FMS not match?

A chart/FMS mismatch usually means the chart and navigation database describe different procedure revisions, although unsupported leg types and simulator coding errors can produce similar symptoms.

• Confirm the airport, procedure name, identifying number, runway and transition on both sources.
• Use chart and navigation data from the same cycle where possible.
• Treat renamed or missing fixes, changed transitions and different routing as significant discrepancies.
• Expect occasional one-degree course differences caused by rounding or magnetic-variation updates; do not manually edit every small difference without checking the reason.
• Check whether the installed avionics can fly the coded leg. Some basic systems replace arcs, conditional turns or intercepts with simplified straight segments.
• After changing a runway or approach, delete the superseded procedure cleanly and rebuild it rather than layering new selections over old legs.

For simulator practice, a procedure can be constructed manually, but only from one internally consistent chart. Do not combine fixes from an old FMS procedure with restrictions from a newer chart and assume the result retains the published obstacle protection.

Should I delete VECTOR legs and route discontinuities?

No: a VECTOR or manual discontinuity can be an intentional instruction to expect radar headings, not an FMS fault that should be closed automatically.

Connecting the fixes on either side may create an uncharted shortcut through terrain, restricted airspace or conflicting traffic. Under ATC, fly the assigned heading and join the next leg only when cleared. Without ATC, plan a sensible simulated vector that preserves terrain clearance instead of selecting direct-to automatically.

A genuine programming discontinuity is different. If two charted consecutive fixes are separated because of a loading error, correct it only after confirming their order and the intended leg between them.

How do ATC clearances change a SID or STAR?

ATC can assign, amend or cancel a SID or STAR, change its transition, issue vectors, or replace the expected runway and approach.

Published constraints remain part of the procedure, but the precise authority conveyed by phrases such as “climb via” or “descend via” depends on regional phraseology and the complete clearance. Never assume that loading a STAR authorises descent from the assigned level. Our guide to handling ATC-assigned procedures, amendments and runway changes covers the clearance side without duplicating the chart-reading process here.

Does a STAR include the instrument approach?

No. A STAR normally brings the aircraft from the en-route structure to a terminal or approach-feeder fix; the instrument approach remains a separate procedure.

Some STARs are runway-specific or connect naturally to an approach transition, but that does not merge their instructions. Load and brief the approach separately, including its final course, altitude restrictions, minima and missed-approach procedure. Check the shared junction for duplicated fixes or a gap after loading both procedures.

Are FSF, ναι and “3rd option” SID/STAR chart terms?

No. None of these is a universal SID or STAR instruction, so its meaning must not be guessed from an unexplained search result or menu position.

• FSF commonly stands for Flight Safety Foundation in general aviation writing, but three-letter text on a chart might instead be a local identifier or navaid. Use the chart legend and surrounding context before assigning a meaning.
• ναι, transliterated as nai, is the Greek word for “yes”; it is not a standard procedure abbreviation.
• 3rd option describes only an item’s position in a simulator or FMC list. Never select the third option by position alone—match the displayed procedure name, runway and transition to the chart.

What should I check before take-off or top of descent?

Before using the procedure, make one final comparison covering identity, route, vertical limits and clearance.

• Correct airport, chart revision and procedure number
• Correct departure or landing runway branch
• Correct entry or exit transition
• Every fix present once and in the charted order
• No unexplained loops, shortcuts or discontinuities
• All altitude, speed and climb restrictions understood
• Aircraft equipment and performance suitable for the procedure
• FMS route consistent with the chart and ATC clearance
• STAR and approach connected correctly but briefed as separate procedures