Definition
Published instrument procedure charts that depict the routing, altitudes, navigation aids, communication frequencies, minimum descent or decision altitudes, and missed approach instructions a pilot must follow to transition from en route flight to a landing at a specific runway under instrument flight rules.
Plain English
Step-by-step picture-and-data sheets that show a pilot exactly how to fly down to a particular runway when they cannot rely on seeing the airport from a distance.
Context Anchor
Pilots use approach charts during instrument flight planning, before starting an approach, and in the cockpit while flying the final part of an instrument arrival to an airport.
Derivation
From 'approach,' meaning the final flight segment toward the runway, and 'chart,' a printed or digital sheet of organized flight information. The name reflects exactly what they show: how to approach a runway.
Why Pilots Care
They supply the precise track and altitudes needed to descend safely through clouds or at night without visual reference to the ground.
Intuition Check
Do not read “approach charts” as any charts used while nearing an airport. Here it means specific published procedure charts for instrument approaches.
Example Sentence 1
Before starting the descent, the pilot reviewed the approach chart to confirm the final approach course and the minimum descent altitude.
Example Sentence 2
FSS can relay NOTAMs that affect the minimums shown on current approach charts.