Sectional Aeronautical Charts are the primary navigational reference medium used by the VFR pilot community. The 1:500,000 scale Sectional Aeronautical Chart Series is designed for visual navigation of slow to medium speed aircraft. The topographic information featured consists of the relief and a judicious selection of visual checkpoints used for flight under visual flight rules. The checkpoints include populated places, drainage patterns, roads, railroads, and other distinctive landmarks. The aeronautical information on Sectional Charts includes visual and radio aids to navigation, airports, controlled airspace, restricted areas, obstructions, and related data. These charts are updated every 56 days.
Separate indices show the coverage of VFR Charts (Conterminous U.S. and Alaska).
| Chart Type | Nautical miles/inch | Nautical miles/cm | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sectional Aeronautical Charts | 6.86 | 2.70 | 1:500,000 |
Product Name and FAA Product ID
| Product Name | Product ID |
|---|---|
| Albuquerque | SALB |
| Anchorage | SANC |
| Atlanta | SATL |
| Bethel | SBET |
| Billings | SBIL |
| Brownsville | SBRO |
| Cape Lisburne | SCAP |
| Charlotte | SCHA |
| Cheyenne | SCHE |
| Chicago | SCHI |
| Cincinnati | SCIN |
| Cold Bay | SCB |
| Dallas | SDAL |
| Dawson | SDAW |
| Denver | SDEN |
| Detroit | SDET |
| Dutch Harbor | SDUT |
| El Paso | SELP |
| Fairbanks | SFAI |
| Great Falls | SGF |
| Green Bay | SGB |
| Halifax | SHAL |
| Hawaiian IS. | SHI |
| Houston | SHOU |
| Jacksonville | SJAC |
| Juneau | SJUN |
| Kansas City | SKC |
| Product Name | Product ID |
|---|---|
| Ketchikan | SKET |
| Kodiak | SKOD |
| Klamath Falls | SKF |
| Lake Huron | SLH |
| Las Vegas | SLV |
| Los Angeles | SLA |
| McGrath | SMCG |
| Memphis | SMEM |
| Miami | SMIA |
| Montreal | SMON |
| New Orleans | SNO |
| New York | SNY |
| Nome | SNOM |
| Omaha | SOMA |
| Phoenix | SPHX |
| Point Barrow | SPB |
| Salt Lake City | SSLC |
| San Antonio | SSA |
| San Francisco | SSF |
| Seattle | SSEA |
| Seward | SSEW |
| St. Louis | SSTL |
| Twin Cities | STC |
| Washington | SWAS |
| West Aleutian Isl | SWAL |
| Whitehorse | SWHI |
| Wichita | SWIC |
* U.S. pacific territories including Guam, Mariana Islands and the Samoan Islands are included on the back side of the Hawaiian Sectional Chart.