How to Read a Chart Supplement Entry
The Chart Supplement is the FAA's directory of every public airport. How to read an entry line by line, and what a drone pilot uses it for.
The sectional chart shows where an airport is. The Chart Supplement tells you everything else about it. The FAA's own sample question asks where the most comprehensive information on a given airport is, and the answer is the Chart Supplement, formerly the Airport/Facility Directory. The FAA publishes it in regional volumes on a 56-day cycle, free on its digital Chart Supplement page.
What does an entry look like?
Here are excerpts from the North Central volume effective September 3, 2026, for Minot International, the Class D airport on the FAA's test Figure 21:
MINOT INTL (MOT)(KMOT) 2 N UTC–6(–5DT) N48º15.46´ W101º16.68´
1716 B AOE ...
RWY 13–31: H7700X150 (CONC–GRVD) ... HIRL
AIRPORT REMARKS: Attended continuously. Deer and birds on and invof arpt.
... Airfield std tfc pattern alt 1000´ ... When twr clsd ctc CTAF.
WEATHER DATA SOURCES: ASOS 118.725 (701) 815–8586.
COMMUNICATIONS: CTAF 118.2 UNICOM 122.95
MAGIC CITY TOWER 118.2 (1300–0400Z‡)
AIRSPACE: CLASS D svc 1300–0400Z‡; other times CLASS E.
How do you read it line by line?
| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MINOT INTL (MOT)(KMOT) 2 N | Name, FAA and ICAO identifiers, 2 miles north of the city |
| UTC–6(–5DT) | Local time is UTC minus 6, or minus 5 during daylight saving time |
| N48º15.46´ W101º16.68´ | Airport reference point |
| 1716 | Field elevation, feet MSL |
| RWY 13–31: H7700X150 | Runway 13–31, hard surface, 7,700 by 150 feet |
| AIRPORT REMARKS | Hazards and local procedures, here wildlife and the 1,000-foot pattern altitude |
| WEATHER DATA SOURCES | The ASOS frequency and a phone number for the current observation |
| COMMUNICATIONS | CTAF, UNICOM and tower with its hours in UTC |
| AIRSPACE | The airspace class and when it changes |
The double dagger after a time means the hours shift one hour earlier during daylight saving time.
56 days
how often the FAA republishes the Chart Supplement
What does a drone pilot use it for?
Airspace hours. Minot's line reads "CLASS D svc 1300–0400Z‡; other times CLASS E." When the tower closes, the surface area becomes Class E, which still needs ATC authorization under 14 CFR §107.41. Compare Jamestown Regional, the airport on Figure 26, whose entry simply reads "AIRSPACE: CLASS E." The Class D post covers what changes when a tower closes.
Live weather. The ASOS phone number gives the current observation at the field, useful when you are setting up near an airport without a data connection. The weather sources post covers the other options.
Hazards and traffic. Remarks such as "Deer and birds on and invof arpt" (in the vicinity of the airport) and the pattern altitude tell you what is flying nearby. The traffic pattern post shows where that traffic is.
Who to call. Entries list the airport manager's phone number, the first call for a flight on or right next to airport property.
The Chart Supplement does not show TFRs or most NOTAMs. It is a directory that changes every 56 days, not a briefing. Check NOTAMs separately before every flight, as the TFR post explains.
What the exam asks about the Chart Supplement
The ACS lists Chart Supplements as sub-element b of UA.V.B.K6, sources for airport data. Expect a question on what the publication contains, and sometimes an excerpt to read: a tower's hours, a CTAF, a pattern direction, or the airspace class outside tower hours. The chart symbols cheat sheet covers the shorter airport data block printed on the chart itself.
The chart tells you an airport exists. The Chart Supplement tells you when its airspace changes.
Wildlife remarks like Minot's are explained in the birds and wildlife post, and airport lighting in the lights and markings post.
For reading an unfamiliar chart excerpt before you reach for the Chart Supplement, see how to read an unfamiliar sectional chart.
Compare the chart's data block with the Chart Supplement entry above.
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