Definition
An FAA publication, issued in regional volumes and updated every 56 days, that contains detailed information about airports, seaplane bases, heliports, and selected military facilities in the United States. It includes runway data, communication frequencies, services available, airport remarks, special procedures, and other operational information not shown on aeronautical charts.
Plain English
A regularly updated FAA booklet that gives pilots detailed information about airports and other landing facilities, such as runway lengths, radio frequencies, fuel availability, and special notes about each airport.
Context Anchor
Pilots use it during preflight planning, especially when checking details about an unfamiliar airport before a flight.
Derivation
Formerly called the Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD). It was renamed Chart Supplement to reflect its role as a companion publication to the FAA's aeronautical charts — the charts show the picture, the supplement fills in the details.
Why Pilots Care
It supplies current airport-specific facts that charts cannot show, supporting safe routing and facility selection.
Analogy
A chart is like a road map. Chart Supplement U.S. is like the detailed travel guide that tells you what is available at each stop and what to watch for when you get there.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “Chart Supplement” means an extra chart or a replacement chart. It is a separate FAA reference that adds detailed information to the charts pilots already use.
Example Sentence 1
Before the cross-country flight, she checked the Chart Supplement U.S. to confirm the destination airport had fuel and a published traffic pattern altitude.
Example Sentence 2
The Chart Supplement U.S. showed that the destination airport had self-serve fuel available after normal hours.