Definition
Aeronautical charts published by the FAA for visual flight rules (VFR) navigation. Sectional charts cover large regions at a 1:500,000 scale, showing terrain, airports, airspace boundaries, navigation aids, obstructions, and visual landmarks. Terminal area charts (TACs) cover the airspace around busy Class B airports at a more detailed 1:250,000 scale, providing a closer view of complex airspace and ground features near major metropolitan airports.
Plain English
Paper or digital maps pilots use to fly by sight. Sectionals are the standard wide-area maps; terminal area charts are zoomed-in versions of the airspace around big city airports where things get crowded.
Context Anchor
A pilot uses sectional/terminal area charts during preflight planning, cross-country navigation, and scenario-based training discussions about route choice and airspace awareness.
Derivation
"Sectional" because the United States is divided into sections, each covered by its own chart. "Terminal area" refers to the airspace surrounding a major airport terminal, which needs a more detailed chart because of dense traffic and complex airspace.
Why Pilots Care
They give pilots the exact visual references and airspace rules needed to avoid obstacles, restricted areas, and other aircraft.
Intuition Check
Terminal does not mean the end of a trip here. In this term, terminal area means the busy airspace around a major airport where arriving and departing traffic is concentrated.
Example Sentence 1
Before the cross-country flight, the student spread the sectional chart across the table and traced the planned route with a pencil.
Example Sentence 2
Near the city airport the instructor pulled out the terminal area chart for more detail on the airspace layers.