Module 5 Recap: Reading Sectional Charts Flashcards
Review (20 cards)
The _______________ is an imaginary line drawn around the Earth that is equally distant from the North and South poles. It divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and it’s considered to be at 0° latitude.
Equator
Lines of _______________ are imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator around the Earth.
Latitude
The _______________ is an imaginary line that runs vertically down the Earth from the North to the South pole and divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western hemispheres. It passes through Greenwich, England, and it represents 0° longitude.
Prime meridian
Lines of _______________ are imaginary lines that run up and down the Earth parallel to the prime meridian
Longitude
When you’re looking at a Sectional Chart, as you move _______________, the latitudinal degree numbers go up.
North, away from the equator
When you’re looking at a Sectional Chart, as you move _______________, the latitudinal degree numbers go down.
South, toward the equator
When you’re looking at a Sectional Chart, as you move _______________, the longitudinal degree numbers go up.
West or left, away from the prime meridian
When you’re looking at a Sectional Chart, as you move _______________, the longitudinal degree numbers go down.
East or right, toward the prime meridian
Each degree of latitude and longitude is made up of _______________ units called “minutes” (unrelated to time) and is marked as a ʼ. On a Sectional Chart, these minutes show up as small tic marks that you can actually count.
60
On a Sectional Chart, each longitudinal and latitudinal line is _____ minutes from the next line, which means they are half a degree apart.
30
A small magenta colored flag indicates a visual reporting checkpoint or waypoint for manned VFR aircraft. As a drone pilot, you should expect _______________.
A higher volume of manned aircraft traffic here
_______________ describes the literal height above the ground over which you’re flying.
Above Ground Level (AGL)
_______________ is your true altitude or elevation. It’s the average height above standard sea level where the atmospheric pressure is measured in order to calibrate altitude.
Mean Sea Level (MSL)
On a Sectional Chart, all of the numbers you see that denote altitude are denoted in MSL, unless they are in parentheses. If you see a number in parentheses, that denotes _______________.
Above Ground Level (AGL)
Isogonic lines indicate _______________.
The magnetic variation or difference between true vs. magnetic north
If you think about the grid that is formed by intersecting lines of latitude and longitude, then we’re calling the inside of each grid space a quadrangle. Within each quadrangle is a Maximum Elevation Figure (MEF). This is _______________.
The minimum altitude that you can fly in a given quadrangle and still be able to clear all obstacles in that quadrangle, including terrain and obstructions
If you’re asked about _______________ in a given Sectional Chart figure, you can consult the color chart, where the different color tints show bands of elevation relative to sea level. These colors range from light green for the lower elevations to dark brown for the higher elevations.
Natural terrain elevation
A Victor Airway is a straight-line segment that’s used to depict _______________. On a Sectional Chart, these show up as thick, faded blue lines. Victor Airways are identified by a number, similar to an interstate highway (for example, a pilot could say that he/she is “flying Victor One Five”).
Low-altitude civilian air traffic
Victor Airways are designated as _______________ and they start at a base of 1,200 ft. AGL and go up to but not including 18,000 ft. MSL.
Class E airspace
Along Victor Airways lines, you have low-altitude civilian pilots flying from _______________.
1,200 ft. AGL to 18,000 ft. MSL. If you get asked about the minimum altitude / lowest elevation of a Victor Airway, it’ll be 1,200 ft. AGL
