Ground training
26 short videos on the FAA San Francisco Sectional, centered on Salinas. Each one teaches one part of the chart with local examples.
Watch them in order, about 39 minutes in all. Then take the quiz: 53 questions on real chart pictures.
Latitude and Longitude
How to read the latitude and longitude grid on a sectional, and why only the ticks along a line of longitude measure nautical miles.
True North, Magnetic North and Variation
How to turn a true course from the chart into a magnetic course, with the isogonic line near Salinas.
Terrain and Maximum Elevation Figures
Five ways the sectional shows terrain, and how the maximum elevation figure in each block is figured.
Landmarks and VFR Checkpoints
How to find your way by sight with the landmarks and VFR checkpoints printed on the sectional.
Airport Symbols
What an airport symbol tells you before you read its data block.
Towered Airport Data Blocks
How to read the data block of a towered airport, with Salinas Municipal as the example.
Non-Towered Airport Data Blocks
How to read the data block of an airport without a tower, with Marina Municipal as the example.
Tower Hours and Chart Tables
Where to find the hours of a part-time tower, and what happens to the airspace when the tower closes.
The Airspace Layers
Climb straight up from Hayward Executive and pass through every class of airspace on the way.
Class B Airspace
How to read the San Francisco Class B on the sectional, and what you need to enter it.
Class C Airspace
How to read the Monterey Class C, and what you need to enter it.
Class D Airspace
How to read the Salinas Class D, and the rules for flying in it.
Class E and Class G Airspace
Where Class E begins near Salinas, and where Class G lies below it.
Approach Control Frequency Boxes
Which NorCal Approach frequency to call near Monterey, and how the side panel table decides it.
Special Use Airspace
How to read restricted areas, MOAs and warning areas south and west of Salinas.
Military Training Routes and the ADIZ
Military training routes near Salinas, and the Air Defense Identification Zone off Monterey.
Parachute, Glider and Aerobatic Areas
The small symbols that mark parachute, glider, hang glider and aerobatic activity near Salinas.
Parks, Wilderness and Marine Sanctuaries
The altitude requests and rules over parks, wilderness, condor areas and the Monterey Bay sanctuary.
NAVAID Symbols and Boxes
How to read NAVAID symbols and data boxes, from the Panoche VORTAC to the Watsonville DME.
Victor Airways and T-Routes
How to read Victor airways and T-routes, with V230 from Salinas to Panoche as the example.
Weather and Radio Information
Where to find the weather for an airport, from ATIS to AWOS and FAA weather cameras.
Test yourself
53 questions on real pictures from the chart, in 7 sections. The last section is a trip you plan from Salinas to King City. Free, with no signup, and your progress saves in your browser.
FAA San Francisco Sectional, effective 29 OCT 2026. Not for navigation. Before you fly, check the current chart, the Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.
A discovery flight is actual flight training with a certified flight instructor at the Salinas Airport. Your hands on the controls, with the chart on your knee.
