The Vertical Cross Section Chart provides detailed weather and terrain information for flight planning. The chart is always read from left to right like a graph. Below are explanations of the chart layout and key elements seen in the chart.
Typical Vertical Cross Section Chart.
Overview
-
Header Information: Displays the chart name, data source (e.g., National Centers for Environmental Prediction - NCEP), the date and time the data was gathered, and the time the chart was generated.
-
Flight Levels: The left side of the chart shows altitudes, starting at the surface and extending to the highest planned altitude plus at least 2,000 feet.
-
Route Division: The route is divided into 15 equal sections along the bottom. These divisions do not correspond to specific waypoints.
Key Elements
The chart is broken down into the following key elements:
Tropopause
The altitude of the Tropopause is shown textually at the top (e.g., FL344) of the graph view and as a red dashed line within the graph.
Direction of Flight
Arrows with a bisecting line indicate the direction of north relative to the direction of flight for each leg segment. The arrow always points north.
Wind Barbs
Wind barbs show wind direction and speed relative to flight direction (left to right on the chart). Barb elements indicate wind speed as follows:
- Short barb: 5 knots
- Long barb: 10 knots
- Pennant: 50 knots
- A single line indicates calm winds.
Temperature
Each block shows the temperature in degrees Celsius (negative unless prefixed with a plus (+) symbol).
Terrain
In each block, the dark-green background shows the highest terrain along the route (+0.1 degrees Lat/Long).
Turbulence
Colored boxes indicate areas of turbulence, with values shown based on the Turbulence EDR Scale at the bottom of the chart.
Icing Severity
Blue curves with bisecting lines represent icing severity (trace, light, moderate, severe). More lines indicate higher severity.
This chart provides a comprehensive visualization of weather, wind, and terrain, aiding in situational awareness and decision-making during flight planning.
Last Updated: