Not for navigation. AvCharts is a planning aid. Use current official charts, a weather
briefing and NOTAMs for every flight.
1.8.0
New
Airport pages now include airports outside the large and medium fields in the United States. DE-0029 keeps the hyphen in its address. EGLL and SBSP have pages too. Each page says Not for navigation. EGLL and SBSP credit OurAirports and do not add the FAA line. Opening DE-0029 from its page opens that airport on the map.
A United States airport page can say Public use Yes or No. K1F0 says Yes and shows FAA LID 1F0. KADW says No and shows FAA LID ADW. KXTA and PHIK leave both rows off. A United States page credits OurAirports and FAA NASR.
Layers includes Airways, and it starts off. On the new layout it is a switch. On the classic layout it is a checkbox. Turning it on keeps it on after a reload. From zoom 8 the map draws labeled Victor, Jet, and RNAV airways. In Day the lines use the coastline color.
A route can name an airway between two fixes. LAL V157 OCF follows LAL URIVE WEBBS HYZER SADEY OCF, and the reverse follows those fixes backward. A gap is named, as in V159 has a break between ORL and PZD.
Improved
In the new layout (preview), which stays off by default, the map leaves room for the sheet and the side panel. On a phone held upright, Peek, Half, and Full each set that room, and selecting KAPF from search with the sheet at Half places the airport above the sheet. On a wider screen the airport stays clear of the side panel.
1.7.0
New
In the new layout (preview), a phone held upright shows a bottom bar with Map, Search, Route, Layers, and More. A phone in landscape, a tablet, and a desktop do not show that bar. Search opens a sheet with Cancel. A result such as KSFO shows the name, the place, and the distance. When nothing matches, it says No match for "the query". Try an ident, ICAO, IATA, name or city.
In the new layout (preview), a phone in landscape, a tablet, and a desktop show a side rail instead of that bottom bar. On a tablet and a desktop the rail shows Map, Search, Route, Layers, Offline, More, and Night.
In the new layout (preview), the airport sheet on a phone held upright rests at Peek, Half, or Full. The handle cycles Peek, then Half, then Full, then Peek, and a drag can open the sheet fully.
In the new layout (preview), Map info opens a legend with airport shapes, navaids, weather, advisory, and source and license sections.
In the new layout (preview), Procedures lists the charts in groups. After the cycle ends, a row says Expired. Offline, a row says Needs a connection.
In the new layout (preview), Layers includes a list of temporary flight restrictions. The classic layout does not show that list.
The Compass A logo and wordmark show in Day and Night. In Day the browser theme color is white, and in Night it is dark.
Improved
The new layout stays off by default, and the classic layout is unchanged. Classic keeps its own chrome, with no side rail and no bottom bar from the new layout.
In the new layout (preview), the map controls are a stack: Zoom in, Zoom out, Show my position, Measure distance, and Map info. On a phone in landscape the stack is compact. Zoom in changes the zoom. Show my position uses the browser's location. Measure distance takes two clicks on the map. Map info opens the legend.
In the new layout (preview), Layers is divided into sections, with the chart choices and the layer rows in that list.
In the new layout (preview), the map shows the coordinates and the zoom in a fixed-width face. The credits are folded into a Data sources button.
Fixed
In the new layout (preview), the offline banner sits under the header. On a wide screen the open airport panel starts below it, with a gap between them, so the banner no longer covers the panel.
In the new layout (preview), dragging with a mouse on the airport tab content moves one tab. A drag that starts on Overview selects Weather. The keyboard changes the tab too.
1.6.0
New
Settings shows Invert charts as Match palette, On, or Off. On the new layout the first choice reads Match theme. Match follows the palette again, on with Night and Dusk and off in Day and Classic, without a full reset of the other settings. On or Off stays until you change it. An inverted procedure chart in Dusk uses a red filter. Night keeps light lines on a dark page.
On the new layout, Weather shows the METAR and TAF as Decoded or Raw, with Decoded first, and keeps that choice for the next airport. Raw text wraps. Each decoded TAF period is its own block.
On the new layout, tapping the coordinates on Overview copies them in the coordinate format from Settings, and the row shows Copied for 2 seconds, with no toast. Tapping a frequency copies it, the row shows Copied for 2 seconds, and that copy is announced once, with no toast.
On the new layout, a sideways swipe on the airport tab content moves one tab.
Improved
The new layout stays off by default, and the classic layout is unchanged. On the new layout, an airport header shows the flight category and the METAR age, with a caution past 60 minutes, and the actions Route, Plates, and Share. Route becomes a disabled In route with Undo until the sheet closes or another airport opens. Share confirms "Link copied" on the button. On a phone the sheet peeks at one tab row under that header, so a route still has room on the map.
On the new layout, the airport tabs are one scrolling row, so every tab stays reachable on a phone. The last tab is remembered for a reload in the same browser tab.
On the new layout, Overview lists elevation, type, sun, location, coordinates, the longest runway, lights, surface, and the primary frequency. The sun row still shows Zulu and local time. Chart Supplement, the airport page, and Wikipedia are separate rows. Runways lists each runway with its length, surface, and lights, and still says "No runway information in OurAirports." when OurAirports has none.
On the new layout, Freqs lists each frequency on its own row. Past eight frequencies, when more than one service is listed, an index jumps to each service. The classic layout keeps the frequency table.
On the new layout, when Weather is offline and nothing fresh has loaded, it says "Weather needs a connection." and, when a METAR was already loaded, a line such as "Last METAR 42 min ago." over that last observation. It loads again when the connection is back.
On the new layout, a navaid lists ident, name, type, frequency, Morse, and coordinates, with the ident, frequency, and coordinates in a fixed-width face, plus state and ARTCC when the navaid has them. Airspace here lists each area with a class chip (B, C, D, E, P, R, W, A, MOA, Mode C, or TFR), the title and name, and the floor and ceiling, then the other facts as rows.
On the new layout, Offline is a caution chip at the head of the map status row. A caution banner reads "You're offline. Map data on this device still works. Weather, radar, TFRs and FAA charts need a connection." It has no dismiss control and it clears when the connection is back. The classic layout keeps the Offline badge.
On the new layout, About, What's new, an airport page, and the page for an unknown address use the saved theme: Day, Night, or Dusk as saved, Auto from the system, and Night when nothing is saved. Settings saved before the theme was stored follow the map palette: Night stays Night, and Daylight and Classic use Day. An airport page leads with the identifier and the name under it, and the map button names the field, such as "Open KSFO in the map". Printing that page uses dark ink, keeps the Chart Supplement cycle and the identifier, and leaves off the site navigation.
Fixed
When the airport index cannot load, the "Search is unavailable." banner stays up while the search field is focused, and Retry receives the click. Retry then loads the results.
A temporary flight restriction whose area reaches the water keeps the local time of the land it covers. An area that is only over water, or whose land samples fall in more than one time zone, stays in Zulu.
Sunrise, sunset, and civil twilight for airports on Guam time or Saipan time show ChST instead of GMT+10. KJFK still shows EST or EDT, PHNL shows HST, and PANC shows AKST or AKDT.
For 1.5 seconds after a route is fitted to the map, a change in the airport sheet or the attribution line fits the route again, so a stop on a phone does not land under the attribution. Moving the map, or dragging the route, keeps the view where you put it.
1.5.0
New
The vector chart draws roads under the airspace, from Natural Earth's public-domain roads. The About page lists the source.
Invert charts, in the chart viewer toolbar and in Settings > Display, shows a procedure chart near-black with its colors keeping roughly their meaning. It starts on with the Night palette and off in Day and Classic, and once you change it, your choice stays on this device. An Inverted chip in the viewer header turns it off in one tap. A caution shows under the toolbar the first time, and screen readers announce it.
Profile and Nav log are tabs in the route profile dock, and the dock remembers the last one. The route strip opens that tab, and a second press closes the dock. On a phone, including landscape, both open in one bottom sheet.
Deleting a saved route shows Deleted "name" with Undo in its row. Undo puts the route back in the same place, with the same name, stops, and saved time. The delete is final after 8 seconds or when the panel closes.
Groundwork for the upcoming redesign, off by default. The current layout is unchanged.
Improved
The map opens faster: the airport search index loads on the first search, an airport or route link, a click on an airport, or a few seconds after the map is up when Data Saver is off. Search stays usable while it loads. If it can't load, a "Search is unavailable." banner offers Retry, and the map still works.
Opening an airport page offline opens the app on that airport, instead of a plain Offline page.
Radar is smoother when zoomed in, without stair-stepped cells.
The saved route delete x, Undo, and the landscape profile handle are 44 px touch targets.
The installed app uses the dark AvCharts colour for its title bar and launch screen.
Fixed
With the profile dock collapsed, its tabs no longer point screen readers at a panel that isn't there.
1.4.0
New
Settings, under Route profile, sets the corridor width, the strike and caution buffers, the climb rate, the climb speed, and the descent rate. On a wide screen the gear in the profile header opens the same fields under the header. Its label reads the corridor and the two buffers, such as "1 nm corridor · 100 ft / 1,000 ft". Those values stay on this device and are left out of a share link. A wider corridor is never lower, and the caution buffer never sits below the strike buffer.
Improved
Sunrise, sunset, and civil twilight show the airport's local time next to Zulu, with the zone name, such as Sunrise 1122Z (07:22 EDT) · Sunset 2152Z (17:52 EDT). When the two twilight ends fall in different zone names, both are named. With no zone, the row stays Zulu only. The About page lists tz-lookup for that zone.
Flight category dots use saturated colors in daylight and at night: VFR green, MVFR blue, IFR red, and LIFR magenta. The band around the airport symbol is 5 px. From zoom 7 the category word is a pill filled with that color, with white or near-black ink, so the category reads by color and by text on any chart.
Fixed
The page itself no longer scrolls or bounces, so the header and the map stay put. Panels, the legend, and the nav log still scroll inside themselves.
A closed field's codes no longer rank ahead of a navaid or an open field with that same text. The closed field is still found by its ident, codes, and old codes, after those exact matches. Searching SIE lists the Sea Isle VORTAC, then Sierrita Airstrip, then the closed Sines field.
A temporary flight restriction's clock follows the restriction's own date and place. A December notice in Colorado reads MST even when the notice says MDT. In a state with more than one time zone, the time comes from the area: McGregor, Texas, expires at 31 Dec 2026 23:59 CST (01 Jan 2027 05:59Z), not MDT, and El Paso reads MST. A shape that spans two zones, or a restriction with no shape, stays in Zulu. A notice with no state keeps the abbreviation it was given. An area whose name is only Area is numbered Area 1, Area 2, and so on. Area B stays as written.
When the route is missing terrain, the clearance panel shows the whole sentence, such as "No terrain data for 1 nm of the route. Values cover the rest.", on two lines. The sentence is no longer cut off.
1.3.0
New
On a wide screen, Profile opens under the map and the map makes room. Drag the separator to resize the strip, or collapse it to the header. Cruise altitude is the same setting the nav log uses for winds aloft.
The profile draws the airspace the route flies through, from floor to ceiling: Class B, C, and D shelves, special-use areas, and Class E floors. Hovering a block highlights that airspace on the map, and clicking it opens the airspace pane.
The profile draws each temporary flight restriction the route corridor touches, from floor to ceiling. An active restriction is filled in. One that is quiet at the time used is an outline. Hovering or tapping one highlights that notice on the map, and clicking it opens the notice. With a departure time, each restriction is checked at that time. With an airspeed as well, it is checked at the estimated time the route reaches it.
The profile lists the highest point, the clearance, the first terrain strike, and the first caution. A strike is marked on the chart and along the route. The first and last 2 nm at an airport are left out of those checks.
On a phone, a procedure chart opens as a full-height sheet. Drag the handle down to peek at the map. Pinch to zoom, double-tap to fit the page or enlarge it, and at fit zoom swipe sideways for the next or previous chart.
Saved routes sits in the route strip's main row, next to Nav log, so a saved route opens without opening the nav log. The button shows how many routes are saved. Saving a route needs two or more stops.
Improved
An open profile stays open after you reload, and it comes back at the same height, whether it was collapsed or not. Dragging a waypoint stays smooth while the profile is open.
"Not for navigation" was removed from the page description and social preview text on the home, About, What's new and airport pages. Notes inside the app stay.
Fixed
While TFRs are on, the clearance panel shows "TFRs from FAA tfr.faa.gov. Recently issued NOTAMs may be missing. Check NOTAMs before flight." The whole sentence is visible.
The clearance panel fits at a short profile height without squeezing the chart. Each TFR area is on its own line, with the full entry in a tooltip. With TFRs off, the row says "TFRs off".
With no terrain strike, the clearance panel reads "Terrain strike: None", with no swatch and no TERRAIN label.
When a route crosses several areas of one temporary flight restriction, each entry shows that area and its altitude band, and true duplicates collapse to one line. A restriction coded in UTC shows the local time at that restriction when its state has a single time zone, such as 07:00 MST at Durango.
1.2.0
New
On a wide screen, an open procedure chart covers the map. The site header stays up. Back returns to the airport procedures, Shrink to pane puts the chart in the side pane, and Close leaves the chart. Escape shrinks the chart, and a second Escape closes it. On a phone the chart still fills the screen.
On a phone, the map legend is available and starts collapsed. Opening it shows the keys between the header and the map controls, Hide legend stays on screen, and an expanded airport sheet still hides the legend.
Improved
The procedure chart viewer downloads the first time you open a chart, then the chart viewer itself stays on this device; charts still need a connection. Opening the map no longer downloads it for everyone.
The About page lists Copernicus DEM GLO-30 for terrain heights in the United States, with the source credit and the liability notice.
Fixed
The long-leg warning shows the same distance as that leg in the nav log.
1.1.0
New
Open a procedure chart in the airport pane. You can zoom, pan, and rotate it, move through its pages, and go to the next or previous chart. On a phone, the chart opens full screen.
The open map legend now fits short windows and phones held sideways, and Hide legend is always reachable.
Improved
Charts for the next cycle appear on their own when that cycle starts, when the FAA index can be reached; otherwise AvCharts links to the FAA.
1.0.0
New
AvCharts is a free browser map for flight planning. It is not for navigation. The map shows airports and runways worldwide, FAA VFR Sectional, Terminal (TAC), IFR Low, and IFR High charts over the United States, and US airspace, navaids, and fixes.
Open an airport for elevation, runways, and frequencies, with sunrise, sunset, and civil twilight. Runway headwind and crosswind come from the current METAR.
Frequencies for airports in the United States come from the FAA.
An airport in the United States, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Wake Island, Midway, or Palau links to the current FAA Chart Supplement for that field. The link is removed when that edition expires.
Airport diagrams and instrument procedure charts open from AvCharts while their FAA cycle is current.
Charts for the next cycle appear after the next AvCharts update.
Charts from an expired cycle are marked expired, with a link to the FAA's current charts.
Plan a route from search or by dragging stops, and undo a change. Name, save, open, and delete routes on this device. A share link can include the route and which airspace layers are on. You can export and import a route as GPX or a Garmin flight plan.
The nav log lists course, distance, time, and fuel for each leg, and adds winds aloft when that forecast is available. Print it on letter or half-letter paper.
Measure distance and bearing, and show your position on the map. Flight category, radar, temporary flight restrictions, and advisories update while you are online.
Search still finds a renamed airport from its old codes. Airports you opened recently show up when the search box is empty.
Large and medium airports in the United States have their own page, linked from the airport panel.
After you open the map, AvCharts keeps working offline with the airport, airspace, and navaid data you have already loaded.
Improved
The map legend starts out minimized on a phone and on a wide screen.
The map corner links to data sources and licenses.
Fixed
A route that crosses the date line stays on the map. The airspace marker, the distance marker, and the labels stay with the part of the chart you are looking at.
Airport, airspace, and navaid names stay clear of each other instead of stacking.
Choosing an airport by a local code that another field used to use no longer shows that other field's procedure charts.
A frequency outside the band for that radio service is left off the airport.
A printed airport page shows the Chart Supplement cycle and the airport identifier, and leaves off the note that the link opens in a new tab.
Going back from a panel opened over an airport returns the map to that airport.
Open map