Use of Plotters with FAA Figures
Some FAA questions require measuring distances and angles on an aeronautical chart. While we include the complete, unedited FAA figures, one limitation of digital delivery is that accurate measurements may be difficult or impossible on certain devices. Below are alternative ways to work with these figures.
Download the FAA Knowledge Testing Supplement (PDF)
If you're using an iPhone or a desktop computer, you may find it easier to use a physical plotter on printed figures.
The figures provided in our courses are the official FAA figures from the FAA Knowledge Testing Supplement, available for download from our Library. After downloading, print the aeronautical chart figures to use with a physical plotter. These should print to scale, and even minor variations typically allow you to determine distances within a range sufficient to select the correct answer.
Tips for Using Digital Figures
If you're using an iPad, the tips below can help you work more effectively with the figures provided in the app:
- Tap the figure to expand it to full screen.
- Use standard iOS gestures to zoom and pan.
- Tap the lock button to prevent the figure from moving while you measure.
- In some cases, measuring angles is unnecessary. You can often estimate courses using nearby VOR compass roses.
Why we don't include a "digital plotter"
Implementing a digital plotter is more complex than it may seem. FAA figures do not contain any geospatial data that can be used to determine scale or orientation. This information is essential to allow accurate scaling when a figure is resized, panned, or rotated, and to maintain compatibility across all supported devices and platforms.
Even if the technical challenges were overcome, our app is designed to help students build the skills needed for the FAA knowledge test. A digital tool would need to replicate the experience of using a physical plotter on paper, rather than simply displaying angles or distances automatically.
Additionally, only a small number of FAA exam questions require a plotter, and this type of question may eventually be removed as digital charts become the standard.
For these reasons, we strongly recommend printing the FAA figures and using a physical plotter to practice the skills that are relevant for both the knowledge and practical tests.