How to read sectional chart symbols
Every chart question is a symbol question. Learn six color rules and four number rules and most chart items on the test answer themselves.
The color rules
| Marking | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Solid blue line | Class B boundary |
| Solid magenta line | Class C boundary |
| Dashed blue line | Class D boundary |
| Dashed magenta line | Class E starting at the surface |
| Faded magenta area | Class E starting at 700 feet AGL |
| Blue airport symbol | Towered airport. Magenta means no tower |
The number rules
- Airspace fractions like 110 over 40 are hundreds of feet MSL: ceiling 11,000, floor 4,000.
- A bracketed number at a Class D airport, [25], is the top of that airspace in hundreds of feet MSL.
- Obstacle pairs like 1049 (374) read MSL top first, AGL height in parentheses.
- The big blue quadrangle number is the maximum elevation figure, terrain plus obstacles, in hundreds of feet MSL.
A reading order that works
- Find the airport symbol and its color first. Tower or no tower sets the scene.
- Trace the nearest boundary lines and name the class out loud.
- Read the numbers inside the boundary before you read the question options.
- Check the chart margin for special use airspace times and the legend for anything you half recognize.
Half recognized symbols are the trap. A dashed magenta line and a dashed blue line differ by one word in the answer, Class E or Class D, and the point goes to whoever slowed down.
FAQ
Will the test let me use my own chart?
No. The test center provides a supplement booklet with chart excerpts. The questions point at figures in that booklet.
What does the star above an airport symbol mean?
An airport beacon that operates from sunset to sunrise. Small symbol, free point once you know it.