FAA Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA)Navigation and AirspaceEasy
A student pilot notices that some airport symbols on a sectional chart are printed in blue, while others are printed in magenta. What does this color difference represent?
- ABlue indicates a public airport; magenta indicates a private airport
- BBlue indicates a paved runway; magenta indicates a turf runway
- CBlue indicates an airport with an operating control tower; magenta indicates a non-towered airport
- DBlue indicates a Class B airport; magenta indicates a Class C airport
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Blue indicates an airport with an operating control tower; magenta indicates a non-towered airport
On sectional charts, airport symbols are printed in blue when the airport has an operating control tower and in magenta when it does not. Runway surface, ownership, and airspace class are shown by other chart symbols, not by this color coding.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Public/private status is indicated separately, not by airport symbol color.
- B. Runway surface type is shown by a different symbol shape, not color.
- D. Airspace class is depicted by boundary lines and shading, not airport symbol color.
Sectional Airport Symbol Color
Sectional chart airport symbols are colored blue for towered airports and magenta for non-towered airports.
- Blue = control tower in operation
- Magenta = no operating control tower
- Symbol shape indicates hard-surface vs. other runway types
Memory trick: 'Blue = Booth (tower); Magenta = no Man in the tower.'