Current charts are a legal requirement for cross-country flight. Here's what to buy, when to replace them, and when digital charts on your tablet are sufficient.
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VFR sectional charts contain airspace boundaries, obstacle information, airport data, and NAVAID positions that change regularly. Flying with an out-of-date chart is technically a violation of FAR 91.103 (preflight planning) and is genuinely dangerous — a new building, changed airspace, or closed NAVAID won't be on an old chart.
Sectional charts update on a 56-day cycle. That means you need a new chart roughly every two months if you're flying cross-countries regularly. Digital charts in ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot update automatically — which is one of the strongest arguments for using an EFB.
The standard VFR chart. One sectional covers a large region — you'll need the chart that covers your training area and any cross-country destinations. The US is divided into 37 sectional charts. Common ones for student pilots include Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, New York, Miami, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco depending on where you train.
Price: ~$10 each. Available at Sporty's, Pilot Mall, your local FBO, and most aviation supply stores.
TACs cover the complex airspace around the busiest Class B airports at a larger scale, making them easier to read. If you train near a Class B airport (LAX, JFK, ORD, ATL, DFW, etc.) you need the TAC for that region in addition to the sectional. TACs also update on the 56-day cycle.
Price: ~$10 each.
The Chart Supplement is a bound book published by the FAA covering every public-use airport in a region — runway lengths, lighting, frequencies, services, instrument procedures, and special notices. It's updated every 56 days alongside the charts.
You need the Chart Supplement for your region for your checkride — your DPE will ask you to look up airport information from it. The FAA publishes these free online as a PDF. Many pilots print the pages relevant to their training airports rather than buying the full bound volume.
Bound volume price: ~$7–10. Free PDF download at FAA.gov.
ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot include current digital charts in their subscriptions. Digital charts update automatically and are legally acceptable for flight. However, your DPE will likely hand you a paper sectional during the checkride oral — know how to read both.
A full sectional chart is large. The standard pilot fold reduces it to kneeboard size and keeps your area of interest visible. Fold lengthwise in thirds, then accordion-fold horizontally so your route is on top. YouTube has dozens of videos demonstrating the standard pilot fold — watch one before your first cross-country flight. A poorly folded chart in a busy cockpit is a genuine distraction.
| Format | Cost | Always current | Checkride valid | Works without power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper sectional | ~$10/chart | ✗ expires in 56 days | ✓ | ✓ |
| ForeFlight / Garmin Pilot | ~$8/mo | ✓ auto-updates | ✓ | ✗ needs battery |
| FAA PDF download | Free | ✗ you must re-download | ✓ | ✓ if printed |
Use digital charts for day-to-day flying, buy one current paper sectional for your checkride. Your DPE wants to see that you can read a paper chart. Having one current paper sectional and the Chart Supplement in your checkride binder satisfies this requirement while letting you use ForeFlight for everything else.