Overlay Sectional Aeronautical Charts in Google Earth

Google Earth can be a valuable tool for pilots to get a feel for a route they intend to fly. Follow these instructions to download an overlay of sectional charts for the United States in Google Earth. All of the Terminal Area Charts for the United States are also included.

Steps

 * 1) Ensure you have the most up-to-date version of Google Earth by selecting Check for Updates Online in the Help menu. You MUST be using Google Earth Version 4.
 * 2) Open your updated Google Earth.
 * 3) Click on This Link
 * 4) Open the download file, which will automatically load it into Google Earth.
 * 5) When Google Earth begins, look under Temporary Places and click on "Aero_Charts" to see a list of the various chart options.  Click on Sectionals to open up the mosaic of the Sectionals covering the lower 48 United States.
 * Note: After clicking on the Aero_Charts link in Google Eart, it might take some time for everything to load. If it doesn't work, or for more information visit Aeronautical Charts of the US page on Google Earth Library.
 * You can also select other options, such as the Alaska Sectionals, Flyway maps, the Sectional legends, 3D Airspace, etc.

Tips

 * You can also view all of the Terminal Area Charts, Flyway maps and 3D airspace polygons. Check under the Places Menu to enable these options.
 * The maps will load increasingly higher resolution as you zoom in. Give it a few seconds to download the higher resolution tiles when you stop moving the view. There are 1,000s of tiles altogether that make up the maps. The faster your internet connection, the faster the tiles will load.
 * The 3D airspace polygons are a big file and might take a minute or so to load when you first enable them.
 * You can overlay the Terminal Area Charts right on top of the Sectional Charts.
 * You can view the maps directly in your web browser by clicking on This Link if you have the Google Earth Plugin installed (currently only supported by IE and Firefox, MS Windows Only).

Warnings

 * These sectionals are definitely not up-to-date and must not be relied upon for actual flight planning. This is an entertainment tool only!

Things You'll Need

 * Google Earth software Version 4
 * Broadband Internet connection

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to View Aerial Photography on the Internet
 * How to Dig Deep Into Google
 * How to Use a Graphic Flight Computer to Find Ground Speed and True Heading
 * How to Add Customized Searches to Google Deskbar

Sources and Citations

 * Sectional data download
 * Google Earth 4 download
 * Google Earth Library Discussion Page for Sectional Charts of the US