Learn how to use Jeppesen charts in a flight simulator: match navdata, choose procedures, brief restrictions and fix common chart mismatches.
To use Jeppesen charts in a flight simulator, obtain authorised, in-cycle charts, match the chart’s airport and procedure to the simulator’s navdata, then brief and fly each published route, altitude, frequency and minimum. Keep the chart visible on a second screen, tablet or supported electronic flight bag while you fly.
This process applies to general flight simulation, including Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D and FSX. A Jeppesen chart is a reference document, not a navdata package: opening or importing a chart does not add its runways, waypoints or procedures to the simulator.
What do you need before using Jeppesen charts?
Use charts obtained through an authorised licence or an integrated service that has permission to display them. Random PDF scans may be outdated, incomplete or unlawfully distributed; our guide to authorised chart access and non-Jeppesen alternatives explains the practical options.
Check the chart’s airport identifier, procedure name, runway and effective information against the simulator. Ideally, the chart and aircraft navigation database should represent the same AIRAC cycle. Scenery is separate again, so an airport can have current procedures but outdated taxiways or runway geometry.
Which Jeppesen charts should you open?
Open only the charts needed for the planned flight, normally in the order they will be used.
| Chart type | What it is used for | Main details to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Airport chart | Parking, taxi routes, runways and airport layout | Runway identifiers, taxiway names, holding points and elevations |
| SID | Published departure from the runway to the en-route structure | Runway, transition, altitude and speed restrictions, climb requirements |
| En-route chart | Airways, fixes, navigation aids and controlled airspace | Route direction, minimum altitudes and airway connections |
| STAR | Published arrival from the en-route structure towards an approach | Transition, runway applicability, restrictions and vector segments |
| Approach chart | Instrument approach, landing minima and missed approach | Course, frequency, fixes, crossing altitudes, minima and missed procedure |
How do you use Jeppesen charts step by step?
- Confirm the airport and revision. Match the ICAO identifier, runway and procedure title with the simulator’s flight planner or aircraft database. Airports with similar names or multiple nearby fields are an easy source of mistakes.
- Select the exact procedure. In the FMS, GPS or flight planner, choose the SID, STAR or approach by its database name, then select the correct runway and transition. A Jeppesen chart index number is a document reference, not the procedure name to enter in the avionics.
- Compare the route fix by fix. Check that the simulator’s sequence agrees with the chart. Verify transitions, altitude constraints and any manual, vector or course-to-intercept legs rather than assuming the loaded procedure is identical.
- Inspect discontinuities before removing them. A route break can indicate a genuine error, but it may also represent radar vectors or a manual leg. Deleting every discontinuity can create an unrealistic shortcut to the next fix.
- Brief the critical details. Note the initial heading, restrictions, expected navigation mode, frequencies, final approach course, minima and missed-approach instructions. Set applicable bugs, minimums and navigation sources before workload increases.
- Monitor the aircraft against the chart. Watch position, track, altitude and speed at each published fix. Loading a procedure does not guarantee that the autopilot will obey it; the correct lateral and vertical modes must be armed or selected.
- Keep the missed approach ready. Do not stop reading at the landing minima. Know the first missed-approach heading or fix, required climb altitude and holding instructions before beginning the final approach.
How do you brief a Jeppesen approach chart?
Read the briefing strip first, then the plan view, vertical profile, minima box and missed-approach instructions. Confirm the approach type, final course, navigation aid or frequency, final approach fix, crossing altitude, descent path and the correct DA or MDA for the aircraft and equipment being simulated.
Minima are not simply an autopilot setting. The applicable value can depend on aircraft category, equipment, lighting and whether barometric or radio-altimeter minimums are being used. Our section-by-section explanation of Jeppesen approach plates covers these markings without duplicating the complete IFR procedure here.
Why does the Jeppesen chart not match the simulator?
A mismatch usually comes from different navdata cycles, outdated airport scenery or the wrong procedure transition. Do not combine parts of two revisions and assume the result is valid.
| Problem | Likely cause | Practical fix |
|---|---|---|
| SID, STAR or approach is missing | Chart and simulator navdata use different cycles | Update the simulator database or select a procedure present in both sources |
| FMS route contains different fixes | Wrong transition, revised procedure or database coding difference | Reload the exact runway and transition, then compare every leg |
| Runway or taxiway names differ | Airport scenery predates or postdates the chart | Use scenery that represents the same airport layout; never taxi through missing pavement merely because the chart shows it |
| ILS frequency or course disagrees | Outdated facility or navigation data | Check which value the simulator recognises and update the conflicting data where possible |
| Aircraft skips fixes or restrictions | Wrong autopilot mode, an unresolved discontinuity or unsupported leg coding | Check the active lateral and vertical modes and fly the affected segment manually if necessary |
Built-in ATC can add another conflict by assigning vectors or a procedure that differs from the flight plan. Follow one coherent clearance and chart set rather than switching unpredictably between ATC instructions, the magenta line and a different chart revision.
Can Jeppesen charts be imported directly into a simulator?
Most flight simulators do not accept a chart PDF as navigation data. You can display it on another monitor or tablet, or through an aircraft electronic flight bag when that aircraft supports an authorised chart service. Copying charts into an add-on or navdata folder will not install the procedures.
Some integrated services can follow the simulated aircraft, display geo-referenced charts and place the active flight plan over the chart. Our instructions for connecting Navigraph Charts to a flight simulator explain that workflow. Integration makes charts easier to handle, but it does not remove the need to verify the selected runway, transition and database cycle.
For a full flight, use the Jeppesen documents as one connected set: airport chart for taxi, SID for departure, en-route chart for the airway portion, STAR for arrival and approach plate for landing or going missed. The wider sequence is covered in our practical simulator IFR workflow.