Too many pilots — especially those used to the flatlands of Oklahoma and Texas — were getting trapped by rapidly rising terrain near Rich Mountain VOR. According to Ginger Foot, lieutenant colonel in the Arkansas Civil Air Patrol (CAP), 21 airplanes have crashed since 1969 in the area, and nine more near it. "Every two or three years, the CAP and Boy Scouts will go up there and paint the recently downed aircraft orange so they won't be reported again," said Arkansas state airport inspector Freddy Dodd. The Arkansas Department of Aeronautics decided to do something about it. The solution was to place a purple box on the state's aeronautical chart over the VOR and terrain surrounding Mena, Arkansas, in the southwest portion of the state.
The area is designated by the state — and labeled on the state chart — as a high fatality area, something you just don't see on the average VFR federal government sectional chart. A message with the box warns pilots to avoid flying in the area when ceilings and visibility are low. The Rich Mountain VOR identifier even broadcasts a warning about rapidly rising terrain.
Charts like the ones published by Arkansas and 33 other states obviously offer a little something more than standard Federal Aviation Administration sectional charts. Not only that, but they're often far more colorful. A partial listing of features found on state charts includes: photos of state attractions, airport directories with runway diagrams right on the chart, density altitude charts, mountain flying tips, and routes for mountain passage and tables containing state AM radio stations and AWOS frequencies and telephone numbers, and even a table of cities showing distances and magnetic headings between airports. Many of the states publishing charts also publish separate state airport directories, many with black-and-white photos of the airports.
The charts are as independent in appearance and features as the states themselves. Although they are based on federal mapping data, they are printed in different scales and different colors (Florida and California seem to have adopted Miami Vice pastels) and employ widely varying designs. About the only thing they have in common is their presentation of only one state on the chart — and that is also another of their strong points. Some states require four or more FAA sectionals for complete coverage, so a chart showing the entire state on one piece of paper can be an obvious aid to planning if most of your flying is within that state.
But most of the charts also contain warnings that they are not to be used for in-flight navigation or even detailed preflight planning. Connecticut does not publish a chart partly because of limited funds and partly out of concern over liability should a pilot get lost while using it. Many are produced to world aeronautical chart scale and therefore have less detail needed for pilotage, while others use the WAC scale but add a few features found on larger scale maps. They are not approved for navigation because they are not kept current. Although a few are printed yearly, most are printed only every two or even six years. If they are not to be used for navigation, what purpose do they serve?
"It is our way of giving something back to the aviation community," says Arizona aviation field representative Glen Wilson. "It has always been done, and pilots expect them," he said. Kansas state aviation official David Cushing tells much the same story: The map is intended as a tourism promotion device. It makes a neat giveaway, especially for out-of-state pilots. Arizona published 30,000 charts in October 1990 — the most recent one — for $20,700. However, 1,000 of the charts are printed with special grids and are considered an invaluable aid in law enforcement and search and rescue work. Arkansas also prints 600 maps with grids. But the primary benefit is tourism, Foot said. "When out- of-state pilots ask for an airport near a hunting or fishing area, or perhaps a particular resort, we circle it for them on the map. We used to put the resorts on but left one off one year, and the resort owner got angry," he said. So they took all the resorts off.
The Colorado map, designed by Chase Stockon when he was with the Denver Regional Council of Governments, was designed to promote tourism and safety, primarily among out-of-state pilots. Frequently flown mountain routes are marked, and a message advises pilots to get a mountain-flying check-out before attempting the Rockies, Stockon said. He is now with the National Association of State Aviation Officials. The 1994 Colorado map is expected to be available this month.
The Missouri map includes color drawings of the FAA's new airport signage system. Sure, you can dig it out of the Airman's Information Manual, but what better way to learn it than to see those new runway and taxiway signs every time the map is opened?
Michigan takes the prize for the largest package of material available. Pilots receive four items: the state aeronautical chart, an airspace supplement to help pilots learn the new airspace designations, a pocket-sized pilot information card containing a list of all state navigation aids, and a military airspace planning chart to help pilots avoid military activity.
Few states have studied whether the charts actually boost tourism, but the beautiful sunset pictured behind majestic cactus on the front of Arizona's map could fan anyone's wanderlust. Florida's chart includes a poster-size photo of an aircraft flying at sunset and the invitation to "Fly Florida's Horizons," an appeal perhaps to northern pilots who are sick of winter. New Mexico's chart features a Sheldon Parsons painting of the Sante Fe Mountains that undoubtedly will encourage out-of-state pilots to visit. Not all the charts feature color photos, depending on the availability of state funds. The Indiana map, for example, features an article on the state's role in the history of helicopter development. For an investment of a few cents per pilot, these states are able to make a favorable and lasting impression — a pretty cheap promotional tool.
Two thirds of the charts are printed by just two companies: Techna-Graphics of St. Louis and Washington, D.C., which prints charts for 14 states, and Williams & Heintz Map Corporation of Capitol Heights, Maryland, which does cartography and printing for another dozen states. Corinne Smith, general manager for Techna-Graphics, said the charts are based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — the same data used for federal aeronautical charts.
"Most are used as a giveaway or for tourism promotion," Smith said. "Often they contain more information on private- or even public-use airports than is available from other sources. They are updated with information provided by the state."
Even if they can't be used for navigation, the charts are still a welcome addition to the flight bag. After all, it is a lot easier to look over a complete listing of AWOS frequencies for an entire state than to dig it out of an airport directory airport by airport. And you know there is a crosswind component or density altitude chart in the pilot's operating handbook somewhere, but why not just look at the state map? Many of the 33 states include them. The New Mexico chart even includes an air route traffic control frequency chart of the state. Pilots wanting to call the center for flight following can find the frequency easily without having to call flight service or ask an approach controller.
At the very least, state charts make flying more fun. They offer little discoveries of the kind that spur pilots to continue their search for the idyllic airport with the unusually good restaurant or, as is the case with Arkansas and Colorado, offer priceless safety information that can be found nowhere else.
Where to get them
Have a special state in mind for that next vacation? Here's how to order state aeronautical charts. Quantities are limited, with some states printing only a few thousand charts every two years. Some charge nominal fees. States offering separate airport directories are indicated:
Alabama, 205/242-4480, chart and directory; Arizona, 602/255-7691 (about out of charts and may not republish); Arkansas, 501/376-6781, chart and directory; California, 916/322-3090; Colorado, 303/397-3039, chart and directory; Connecticut, 203/594-2533, directory only; Florida, 904/488- 8444, chart and directory; Georgia, 404/651-5204, chart and directory, (out of stock until June); Idaho, 208/334-8775, chart and directory; Illinois, 217/785-8500, chart and directory; Indiana, 317/232-1496, chart and directory; Iowa, 515/237-3301, chart and directory; Kansas, 913/296- 2553, chart and directory; Kentucky, 502/564-4480, chart and directory; Louisiana, 504/379-1242, chart and directory; Maryland, 410/859-7065, chart and directory; Michigan, 517/335-9283, chart and directory; Minnesota, 612/296-8202, chart and directory; Mississippi, 601/354-6970, chart and directory (charge for directory); Missouri, 314/751-2589, chart and directory; Montana, 406/444-2506, chart and directory; Nebraska, 402/471-2371, chart and directory (charge for directory); New Mexico, 505/827-0332, chart and directory; North Carolina, 919/840-0112, chart and directory; North Dakota, 701/224-2748, chart and directory (charge for directory); Ohio, 614/793-5040, chart and directory; Oklahoma, 405/521- 2377; Pennsylvania, 717/948-4642, chart and directory; Rhode Island, 401/737-4000, directory only; South Carolina, 803/822-5400, chart and directory; South Dakota, 605/773-3574, chart and directory; Tennessee, 615/741-3208, chart and directory (charge for directory); Texas, 512/476- 9262, directory only; Utah, 801/533-5057, chart and directory; Vermont, 802/828-2093, directory only; Virginia, 804/236-3624, chart and directory; Washington, 206/764-4131, directory only; West Virginia, 304/558-0330, directory only; Wisconsin, 608/266-3351, chart and directory (charge for directory); and Wyoming, 307/777-4880, chart and directory. — AKM
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