FAA Sport Pilot Airplane (SPA)Airspace and NavigationHard
A pilot examining a sectional chart notices that terrain is shown using progressively darker shades of brown as elevation increases, in addition to contour lines. What is this shading method used for?
- ATo indicate obstruction clearance planes near airports
- BTo depict graduated elevation ranges using color tinting, as defined in the chart's legend
- CTo show the boundaries of Class G airspace
- DTo indicate the Maximum Elevation Figure for each quadrangle
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. To depict graduated elevation ranges using color tinting, as defined in the chart's legend
Sectional charts use color/elevation tinting — progressively darker shades of brown or green — along with contour lines to represent terrain elevation ranges. The chart legend provides a key correlating each color shade to a specific elevation band, helping pilots visually assess terrain relief at a glance.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Obstruction clearance planes relate to instrument approach design, not terrain color shading.
- C. Class G airspace boundaries are not depicted through terrain color tinting.
- D. The MEF is a single bold number per quadrangle, not a shading system.
Sectional Chart Elevation Tinting
A shading technique using graduated colors (typically greens to browns) to represent bands of terrain elevation on aeronautical charts.
- Works together with contour lines to show terrain relief
- Darker shades generally represent higher elevation
- Elevation bands and colors are defined in the chart legend
- Different from the Maximum Elevation Figure, which is a single number per quadrangle
Memory trick: 'Darker brown, higher ground' — like a topographic paint-by-numbers