Overview
Find your way with confidence
A sectional chart tells a story about terrain, airports, airspace, and the places along a route. Understanding that story matters before you start relying on a moving map.
Learn how to approach the chart legend and how airspace categories organize the environment around you. Pair the concepts with a current chart and a guided lesson; chart editions, notices, and restrictions can change.
A practical next step: Explore training for your next certificate.
Articles in this topic
2 articles4 min read
Sectional Chart Basics: Learn to Read the Whole Picture
Make sense of airports, terrain, altitude references, and airspace by reading a sectional in layers and checking the official legend.
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Airspace Basics for Student Pilots
Understand airspace as three-dimensional areas with different requirements, then connect the chart, current information, and your ground-school lessons.
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Official resources
Read the original references alongside the articles.
FAA Aeronautical Chart Users’ Guide
The official reference for chart symbols and how aeronautical information is displayed.
faa.govFAA aviation handbooks
The FAA’s reference library for aircraft knowledge, flying skills, weather, and instruction.
faa.gov