Aeronautical Chart User's Guide
Charts and navigation
Aeronautical Chart User's Guide
Teaches how to interpret FAA visual and IFR aeronautical charts.
- Publication number
- Not numbered
- Publisher
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Access
- Free official publication
- Best for
- Charts and navigation
Purpose and audience
About this handbook
The FAA guide for decoding the symbols, colors, data, and chart conventions used across visual and instrument products.
Who should use it
Student pilots, certificated pilots, instructors, dispatchers, and anyone using FAA aeronautical charts.
Key subjects
What you’ll learn
VFR chart symbols and airspace
IFR enroute chart conventions
Terminal procedure chart elements
Chart updates and effective dates
Practical study
How to use it in training
Keep the current guide beside the charts you use. Practice finding symbols and notes on live chart products, and always verify chart effective dates before flight.
- Set an objective. Choose the chapter or topic that supports the next lesson, task, or operating decision.
- Read actively. Mark definitions, diagrams, limitations, and questions to discuss with an instructor or qualified professional.
- Apply the material. Work a scenario, calculation, briefing, simulator exercise, or supervised practical task.
- Verify current information. Check regulations, official notices, charts, and approved aircraft or equipment documents.
Edition awareness
Revision and authority notes
FAA chart products and their guide are updated on a publication cycle. Use the current guide and current charts for operational planning.
Directory review date: August 1, 2026
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