Pilot guides
Short, practical guides to the aeronautical documents and data you use on AIP:Aero, written for private pilots. Each one links back to the airport pages where you can put it into practice.
How to read an approach chart
An approach chart packs an aerodrome's arrival and departure procedures into one sheet. Read it top to bottom before you fly.
- Check the header first: the aerodrome name, ICAO code, chart type and the AIRAC effective date. AIP:Aero shows the AIRAC edition on every airport page so you can confirm the chart is current.
- Read the plan view, the bird's-eye layout of runways, navaids, holding patterns and airspace, with tracks and distances between the fixes.
- Read the profile view and the minima: the descent profile, the altitude at each fix, and the decision altitude or minimum descent altitude for the approach.
- Note the missed-approach procedure and the communication and lighting boxes, so you know the go-around track and the frequencies before you need them.
Understanding the AIRAC cycle
AIRAC is the fixed calendar that keeps the world's aeronautical data in step, so charts change on predictable dates rather than at random.
- Changes take effect every 28 days, on the same date worldwide. There are 13 cycles a year, each identified by year and number (for example 2026-07).
- A new edition is published well before its effective date so you can prepare, but it only becomes current on that date. Always fly the edition in force.
- On AIP:Aero every airport page shows the AIRAC edition of the linked chart, so you can check at a glance whether you are looking at the current cycle.
Decoding METAR and TAF
METAR is the current observed weather at an aerodrome; TAF is the forecast for the area around it. Both use the same compact code.
- Read the groups in order: station, day and time, wind (direction and speed), visibility, weather and cloud, then temperature and dew point and the QNH pressure.
- The flight category sums it up: VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR, based on the ceiling and visibility, so you can judge suitability at a glance.
- AIP:Aero decodes the latest METAR and TAF into plain language on every airport page that has a reporting station, with the raw report kept alongside.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need the official AIP if I use AIP:Aero?
Yes. AIP:Aero links the official national AIP and charts and adds context, but the national AIP is always the authoritative source, so check it before every flight.
How do I know a chart is current?
Every airport page shows the AIRAC edition of the linked chart. Compare it with the AIRAC cycle in force on your flight date.
Where can I try this out?
Open any airport page from the airport list for your country and you will find the chart, the decoded weather and the aerodrome data described in these guides.