Chapter 7

Airport Charts

Chapter 7 Airport Charts

Formats of Airport Charts:

• The “classic” chart format

• The “Briefing StripTM” chart format

§7.1 Introduction

The “classic” chart format provides communication information on the right of the chart heading, with airport information on the left.

Heading of “classic” chart format

Heading of “Briefing StripTM” chart format

TMStrip Briefing

This chart format distributes the same information across the top of the chart so that you are reading it from left to right. It’s a widely used format of airport charts.

§7.2 Airport Chart Information

The airport chart contains four primary sections:

• Heading

• Plan view

• Additional runway information

• Takeoff and alternate minimums

Plan View

Heading

Additional Runway Information

Takeoff and Alternate Minimums

§7.2.1 Heading

The top of each airport chart provides standard information about airport, including the location and airport name, elevation, and communication frequencies.

§7.2.1.1 Heading Border

Distinct areas of the heading:

• Location and Airport Name

• Chart Index Number and Dates

• ICAO Location Identifier and Airport Information

• Communications Row

Location and Airport Name

Location Name/City Name

Airport Name

Select the right airport within a particular city

Chart Index Number and Dates

Chart Index Number

Chart Date

ICAO Location Identifier and Airport Information

The airport identifier, unique to each airport, is a combination of the ICAO regional designation and the airport’s governing agency designation （ IATA).Airport Identifier Airport Elevation

ARP Coordinates

Coordinates represent the airport location as provided by the controlling authority

Communications Row

ATIS Frequency

Delivery Frequency

Ground 　 Frequency

Departure Frequency

Tower Frequency

§7.2.2 Plan View

The airport chart plan view portrays an overhead view of the airport, it can provide you with graphical information about the airport, such as its runways and lighting systems.

Except the length and width of stop way and taxiway, lighting system, the other part of charts are portrayed on scale.

§7.2.2.1 Scales, Coordinate Tick Marks and Magnetic Variation

To help you measure distance, the plan view includes a scale showing both feet and meters.

The scale a chart always use range from 1inch=1000feet to 1inch=6000feet.

Scale of the plan view of this chart is 1inch=1000feet

Latitude and longitude

coordinate tick marks

Magnetic Variation

Magnetic Variation

Runway Number

Longitude

Latitude

Approach Light

Runway Length

ARP

RVR

TowerScale

Runway Elevation

The Runway Information is focused on the following items:

• Runway Numbers• Runway Elevations and Length • Displaced Thresholds, Stopways, Overruns• Runway Surface• Arrester Gear and Barriers

• Non-Runway Landing Areas

§7.2.2.2 Runway Information

Runway number is magnetic unless followed by “T” for true in the far north.

Runway number and, when known, magnetic direction unless followed by “T” for true in the far north.

Runway Numbers and Magnetic Direction

Seaplane operating area, or water runway.

Closed runway. Temporarily closed runways will retain their length and runway numbers.

Runway Elevations and Length

Elevations of the runways’ entrance and the lengths of the runways are usually marked at the end and the middle of the runways.

Runway number and Magnetic Direction

Length

of 07R

Entrance elevation

of 07L

Displaced Thresholds and Stop-ways

Displaced thresholds reduce the length of runway available for landings. This portion of runway prior to a displaced threshold is available for takeoffs in either direction, and landings only from the opposite direction.

Stopways or overruns are areas beyond the takeoff runway at least as wide as the runway and centered upon its extended centerline. They may be used to decelerate an airplane during an aborted takeoff.

Runway Surface

In the plan view of the charts, different symbols are used to portray different runway surfaces.

Paved runway

Unpaved runway, such as turf, dirt, or gravel. The type of surface is usually printed on the chart next to the runway.

Seaplane operating area or water runway. Dashed lines indicate the operating area.

Pierced steel planking (PSP)

Area under construction

Unidirectional arrester gear

Bidirectional arrester gear

Jet barrier

Arrester Gear and Barriers

Non-Runway Landing Areas

In addition to runways, the airport chart indicated landing areas as follows:

Helicopter landing pad

Authorized landing area (may be used on Australia charts with limited runway source information

Taxiway and apron

Permanently closed Taxiway

§7.2.2.3 Taxiways and Aprons

Designated stop bar or designated holding position

Category / holding positionⅡ Ⅲ

Buildings

ARP

Airport Identification Beacon

Navids

RVR

RVR with letter

Cone

Tee

Tetrahedron

§ 7.2.2.4 Airport Facilities

Buildings

Large Buildings

Buildings

Airport Reference Point

The airport reference point (ARP) is at the approximate geographic center of all usable runway surfaces, and is the point from which official latitude and longitude coordinates are derived. The center of the crosshairs marks the ARP’s exact location. When the ARP is on a runway centerline, an arrow points to its exact location.

Navigational aids

On-airport navaid, such as VOR ,NDB ,or LCTR (locators, other than locators associated with ILS). When navaids are offset from the runway, you may need to make significant adjustments in your final approach course, once the runway is in slight.

RVR measuring site (transimissometer). The primary instrument runways at major airports may have as many as three transimissometers providing RVR readings, which include touchdown RVR, mid-RVR, and rollout RVR.

RVR

RVR with letter

RVR measuring devices

Wind direction indicators

Cone or wind sock. It is used at both towered and non-towered airports. It can provide the present wind conditions near the runway’s touchdown zone.

Wind tee. Determine the wind direction from a wind tee, but it doesn't indicate wind intensity or gusty conditions. The tail of the tee aligns itself like a weather vane into the wind, so you can take off or land on the runway that most closely parallels the direction of the tee.

Tetrahedron. It is a landing direction indicator, usually located near a wind direction indicator. It may swing around with the small 　 end pointing into the wind, or it may be manually positioned to show landing direction.

§ 7.2.5 Lights and Beacons

The majority of lighting symbols on the airport diagram are approach lights and beacons.

• Approach Lights

• Beacons

Name AbbreviationChart

Symbol Real Composing

Approach light system with sequenced flashing lights ALSF-I

Approach Lights

Name AbbreviationChart

Symbol

Real Composing

Approach light system with sequenced flashing lights and red side row lights the last 1,000′

ALSF-II

Name AbbreviationChart

Symbol

Real Composing

Medium intensity approach light system with runway alignment indicator lights.

MALSR

Name AbbreviationChart Symbol

Real Composing

Medium intensity approach light system with sequenced flashing lights

MALSF

Name AbbreviationChart Symbol

Real Composing

Omni-

directional

approach

light system

ODALS

Name AbbreviationChart Symbol

Real Composing

Runway alignment indicator lights

RAIL

Name AbbreviationChart Symbol

Real Composing

CALVERT

Approach Lights

CALVERT

Name Abbreviation

Chart

Symbol

Real Composing

CALVERT（ CAT /Ⅱ Ⅲ ） Approach Lights

CALVERT （ CAT /Ⅱ Ⅲ ）

Beacons

Beacons are depicted on the airport diagram as stars “ ”.When the depicted beacon is the airport identification beacon, the star is circled “ ” and may appear with its MSL elevation.

Man-made Reference Points

Unknown Structure

Tower

Building

Road

Railway

Pole Line

Lighted Pole

Reference Points

Natural Reference

Points

Nature Terrain

Bluff

Trees

§7.2.3 Additional Runway Information

Some required airport information, such as lighting systems and usable lengths, cannot be portrayed in enough detail in the airport chart plan view.

These information appears below the plan view in the box titled “Additional Runway Information.”

This table provides information for each runway charted in the airport diagram, except for permanently closed runways, ultralight runways, and ski strips.

Additional Runway Information of Hong Kong INTL

Runway Light System RVR

Runway Width

Usable Length

Note

The first column lists each runway, grouped in approach end pairs. Three types of information are provided for each runway:

• Lighting systems and equipment

• Usable lengths

• Width

§7.2.3.1 Lighting Systems and Equipment

Runway light System includes HIRL 、 CL 、 TDZ. The interval of HIRL is 60m ； interval of CL is

15(30)m

Runway Light System

• HIRL

• CL

• TDZ

• HST

Approach light---ALSF-Ⅱ

Approach Lights

RVR

Approach Lights

Usable lengths

§7.2.3.2 Usable Lengths

§7.2.3.3 Runway Width

You can also determine the runway width by counting the number of runway threshold stripes, as indicated in the following table:

Runway is grooved; PAPI of 07L is fixed at the left of runway , angle 3°; PAPI of 25R is fixed at the right of runway , angle 3°; HSTIL are located at High-speed taxiways A4 and A6.

§7.2.3.4 Runway Restriction Notes

§7.2.4 Minimums

The bottom part of an airport chart includes up to three separate sections:

• Takeoff minimums

• Obstacle departure procedures

• Alternate minimums

CL operative, centre line of the runway can be seen. One of the TDZ, middle and end of the runaway RVR inoperative, meanwhile the other two operative, the minimum for take off is RVR600FT.

Minimum for adequate Vis Reference

One or Two engines, RVR 50(5000FT) or VIS 1mile; Three or Four engines, RVR 24(2400FT) or VIS 1/2mile.

When take off from 6R, the light 、 visual reference couldn’t meet the standard, the take off minimum require ceiling to be 200ft,meanwhile VIS 1.25SM.

Take off from 6R, keep Minimum climb grads 281FT/MIN until climb to 400FT.

The following is a part of Hong Kong airport which is revised on October 28th,2005. The minimums for the air carriers which adopt JAA and FAR121 take off from Hong Kong are listed in the following chart.

For all airports authorized Category / , if the RVR/VIS is below Ⅱ Ⅲ400m, It is required to establish and apply LVP procedure when taking off .

Takeoff minimums published under the title “AIR CARRIER (JAA)” are based on JAR OPS-1 Subpart E. These minimums are provided for operators not applying takeoff minimums as specified under AIR CARRIER .They are shown in the following table.

The criterion of this table is the category of aircraft, but not according to the number of engines, as FAR dose.

§7.2.4.2 Obstacle Departure §7.2.4.2 Obstacle Departure ProceduresProcedures

§7.2.4.3 Alternate Minimums

When preparing your IFR flight plan, you must consider the weather reports and forecasts for your destination airport at your estimated time of arrival, plus or minus one hour.

If the weather conditions are poorer than those specified by the governing agency, you must list an alternate airport on your flight plan.

To qualify as an alternate, the airport you select, and its forecasted weather for your arrival time, must meet certain conditions.