In the case of MEF being 12,500ft, for instance, it would be written as 12 5. Thus, if the MEF for a quadrant on a chart is 48,000ft, then on the chart it would appear as the number 48 written in a big blue font.

This number is rounded off to the nearest 100-foot value and the last two digits are not shown on the map. The Maximum Elevation Figure (MEF) on a sectional chart tells pilots what is the lowest altitude they can safely fly up to without posing a risk of colliding with objects. A legend of the particular area chart will help you identify the airports, classes, altitude, elevation, etc, of that area.Īn example of a legend Maximum Elevation Figure (MEF) & Topography Some of the basic elements of a sectional chart are: LegendĪ legend is a table consisting of symbols, numbers, colors and what each one of them means. Understanding each element and terminology of the chart will give you the knowledge of what each symbol, color or number signifies. Basic Terminologies in a VFR ChartĪ sectional chart has lots of elements that will help a remote pilot read the map effectively. The good part about this class of airspace is that a pilot (manned or unmanned aircraft) does not require any special approval from the FAA to operate here. If they’re absent, then it is the class G airspace. Thus, to identify a class G airspace, one must first look for signs of any of the 5 controlled classes. However, class G is not represented on a sectional chart. This airspace can be generally found below class E airspace. Everything excluding A, B, C, D or E falls under the class G airspace. That means that there are no services provided to manned aircraft in this airspace. Thus, let’s break them down into fundamental terms: What is a class G airspace?Ĭlass G is specified as uncontrolled airspace. Reading classes of airspace, airports, and tons of other symbols on a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) Sectional Chart can be a tedious task for a beginner. It is uncontrolled airspace, unlike the rest. However, there is also a class G airspace. In the previous part of this series, we covered the 5 basic types of controlled airspace classes: class A, B, C, D & E and how they look on a VFR chart.

Vfr chart symbols