Learn how to use the FAA Chart Supplement to find airport runways, frequencies, services, remarks and restrictions, plus what to verify before flight.
For aviation and real-world flying, use the FAA Chart Supplement by opening the correct regional volume, finding the airport by state, city, name or identifier, then reading its airport, runway, services, communications and remarks sections. Check the edition’s effective dates, legend and applicable NOTAMs before relying on any item operationally.
What does the FAA Chart Supplement show?
The FAA Chart Supplement is the directory-style companion to aeronautical charts, providing detailed information that cannot fit beside an airport symbol on a sectional. Older books and training material may call it the Airport/Facility Directory or A/FD, its former name.
Depending on the facility, an entry can include coordinates, field elevation, operating times, runway dimensions and surfaces, lighting, communications, fuel, maintenance, traffic-pattern information and local restrictions. The volumes also contain legends, special notices and information about communications and navigation facilities.
It is not a live status display or a replacement for NOTAMs, weather information, an airport diagram or an instrument procedure chart.
How do you find and read an airport entry?
The reliable method is to verify the airport first, use the publication’s index or PDF search, and decode every unfamiliar abbreviation through that edition’s legend.
- Select the right edition. Open the geographic volume covering the airport and check its effective period. Standard Chart Supplement editions normally follow a 56-day cycle; an old saved PDF may still open normally while containing obsolete data.
- Confirm the airport identity. Match the official name, associated city, state and identifier. The three-character FAA location identifier is often the best search term, and not every US airport can be identified by simply adding a
Kprefix. Our explanation of how to verify an airport’s ICAO and local identifiers covers the common naming traps. - Locate the entry. Use the state and city index, document bookmarks or PDF search. Searching for an identifier in parentheses, such as
(LAX), is usually more precise than searching for three letters alone, which may also appear in frequencies, NAVAID listings or remarks. - Keep the legend open. Runway surfaces, lighting systems, operating schedules and restrictions are heavily abbreviated. Do not infer the meaning of a code from context when the legend defines it.
- Read in operational order. Confirm the general airport data, inspect the intended runway, identify the appropriate communications frequencies, check available services and then read every applicable remark.
- Cross-check changing information. Compare the entry with applicable NOTAMs, weather and runway-condition information, the airport diagram and any procedure chart being used.
Which parts of an airport entry matter most?
The runway and remarks blocks demand the closest reading, but each part answers a different pre-flight question.
| Entry section | What it tells you | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Heading and general data | Official airport name, identifier, location, coordinates, time information, field elevation and associated chart | Treating the airport reference-point coordinates as a runway threshold position, or reading elevation as height above ground rather than feet above mean sea level |
| Runways | Designators, physical dimensions, surface, lighting, markings and other published runway details | Assuming total runway length equals the landing distance available when displaced thresholds or declared distances apply |
| Communications | CTAF, tower, ground, approach, departure, ATIS or automated weather frequencies when provided | Assuming UNICOM is always the CTAF, or overlooking different procedures when a control tower closes |
| Services | Attendance, fuel, repairs and other facilities that the airport reports | Assuming a listed fuel grade guarantees stock, staffing or after-hours access |
| Remarks | Local restrictions, prior-permission requirements, hazards, noise procedures, wildlife, unusual taxi instructions and non-standard operations | Skipping the section because the runway dimensions and frequency have already been found |
A notation such as PPR means prior permission is required; it is an operational restriction, not background information. Traffic-pattern altitude may appear in the remarks when published, but airport elevation alone does not tell you the pattern altitude.
Runway strength information also is not blanket approval for an aircraft. Pavement suitability, aircraft operating limitations and take-off or landing performance remain separate checks.
How is the Chart Supplement different from other FAA charts?
The Chart Supplement describes the facility, while sectionals, airport diagrams and procedure charts show different parts of the operational picture.
- Sectional chart: shows the airport in relation to terrain, obstacles, navigation features and surrounding airspace. See our practical guide to interpreting a VFR sectional for the chart symbols that should be cross-checked against the directory entry.
- Airport diagram: shows runways, taxiways, hotspots, ramps and detailed ground geometry.
- Approach or departure chart: provides procedure-specific courses, altitudes, minima and missed-approach or departure instructions.
For detailed ground layouts and procedures, use our searchable airport-specific FAA diagrams and plates alongside the Chart Supplement rather than expecting one publication to contain everything.
What must you verify before a real flight?
Always verify information that can change between publication cycles, because a valid Chart Supplement edition is not a complete pre-flight briefing.
- NOTAMs: runway or taxiway closures, lighting failures, temporary cranes, NAVAID outages and revised operating arrangements.
- Weather and runway condition: wind, visibility, braking reports and contamination can change the usable runway or make published services unavailable.
- Airport status and access: confirm public or private use,
PPRrestrictions, operating hours and any required prior arrangements. - Chart currency: check the effective dates of airport diagrams and procedures separately; they do not necessarily share the Supplement’s publication cycle.
- Aircraft performance: use the published elevation and runway data as inputs to the approved aircraft performance calculation, not as proof that the runway is suitable.
Why might a flight simulator airport not match?
A simulator can use scenery, navigation data and airport layouts from different dates, so its runway numbers, taxiways or frequencies may disagree with a valid FAA Chart Supplement.
For realistic simulation, use the Supplement as the real-world reference and then check what the installed scenery actually models. Runway renumbering, construction and new taxiways are common sources of mismatch; stock scenery and third-party add-ons may each represent a different airport revision.