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Digital ICAO Chart: The VFR Chart in the App

Updated September 4, 2026 · Tim Krauss

In short: The term digital ICAO chart refers to two different products. One is the official ICAO 1:500,000 chart as a licensed chart sheet that you purchase within an app. The other is a chart that an app itself draws from aeronautical data, modeled after the ICAO look. Both show the same aeronautical world, but they age differently and cost differently.

When someone types “digital ICAO chart” into a search, they usually want something very practical: to have the familiar chart from their kneeboard also on their tablet. What is rarely mentioned is that, depending on the provider, you get two fundamentally different things under the same word.

EuroPilot Connect originated from the Sport- und Segelfliegerclub Bad Waldsee-Reute , based at EDMZ, 660 meters of grass, runway 14/32, not on the drawing board of a software company. Many in the team hold a pilot's license, and flights and tests are conducted on Bristell LSA, Comco Ikarus C42 C, and Robin DR400, covering ultralight and Echo class. I built the app myself, so I am not neutral. Our app falls into the second category. Here's what this second category looks like when taken seriously: 4,724 runways at 3,784 airfields from 60 countries, 1,321 traffic patterns, 952 reporting point routes, airspace data for 36 European countries, the aeronautical database updated in the AIRAC cycle. What this article gives you is the difference between the two types of charts and full transparency about what our chart is and what it is not.

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What is a digital ICAO chart?

A digital ICAO chart is a VFR aeronautical chart in ICAO style that you read on a screen instead of on paper. The ICAO style is not a marketing term, but a convention: yellow built-up areas, blue and magenta airspace signatures, terrain colors according to elevation levels, radio beacons, reporting points, obstacles with height indications.

The official German edition is published by the DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung . The DFS has announced the 2026 edition of the ICAO 1:500,000 chart for March 19, 2026. Compared to the previous year, it has improved topography and color design, unpaved runways are again lightly shaded for better visibility, military low-flight areas were last included in the 2009 edition according to DFS and will be fully displayed again in 2026, and the gliding edition is consistently metric. The DFS now produces the chart from a digitized geoinformation system according to ICAO Annex 4 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373. In the same text, it points out that this conversion leads to some symbol overlaps in certain places.

The last sentence is important: even the paper chart is, at its origin, a digital product. The difference between paper and app lies not in the origin of the data, but in what you are allowed to do with it on the tablet and how often it is renewed.

Why are two different things called “digital ICAO chart”?

Because two completely different paths lead to a very similar image.

Path 1: the licensed chart edition. A chart publisher digitizes the official ICAO chart or publishes its own VFR chart at the same scale and sells it as an add-on product for apps. Rogers Data , for example, distributes its VFR charts in 200k, 500k, and 1000k scales as licensable layers for third-party apps and states itself that you can add the charts to an existing ForeFlight subscription. This way, you get the chart image of the respective publisher, against an additional license.

Path 2: the rendered chart. An app draws the chart itself from aeronautical databases: airspaces as geometries, airfields as coordinates with frequencies, navaids, reporting points, runways, terrain as an elevation model. The result is a chart image with ICAO-like coloring, which is not a copy of a chart sheet, but its own drawing of the same reality.

This table is the whole core of the topic. If someone offers you a digital ICAO chart, the only sensible follow-up question is: Which of the two columns do you mean?

What is on the ICAO 1:500,000 chart?

The ICAO chart 1:500,000 is the standard chart for VFR cross-country flights in Germany. One centimeter on the chart corresponds to five kilometers in the landscape. At this scale, the compromise inherent in chart reading in the cockpit works: enough landscape for orientation, enough space for airspace boundaries and altitude information.

Among other things, you will find:

• Airspace structure with classification as well as upper and lower limits
• Aerodromes of all types with identifier, runway direction, aerodrome elevation and frequency
• Radio navigation facilities such as VOR, NDB, and DME
• Reporting points for entry and exit, at controlled aerodromes as well as at RMZ, TMZ and uncontrolled aerodromes
• Obstacles with height above ground and above MSL
• Terrain colored in elevation steps, plus highest elevations per grid
• Restricted, prohibited, and danger areas with their identifier
• Military low-flight areas, fully restored in the 2026 edition according to the DFS

This list is also the benchmark for every app. A chart that does not recognize any of these layers does not replace the ICAO chart, no matter how similar it looks.

May I use an app instead of a paper chart during flight?

Electronic charts are common and standard practice for VFR flights in Europe. However, what the regulation requires of you is not a specific medium, but preparation: According to SERA.2010(b) in the annex of Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 the pilot-in-command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information appropriate to the intended operation. For flights extending beyond the vicinity of an aerodrome, and for all IFR flights, this shall include a careful study of available current weather reports and forecasts, taking into consideration fuel requirements and an alternative course of action.

This leads to two things that are often overlooked in the debate about paper versus tablet:

1. Timeliness beats medium. An outdated app is no more a suitable basis than an outdated paper chart.
2. Failure is your responsibility. A tablet can overheat, the battery can run out, the app can crash. Anyone who only carries one device has no plan B. Many pilots therefore continue to carry a paper chart or a second device.

Only the national regulation applicable to your flight can legally answer the question of the obligation to carry, in Germany via the Air Traffic Regulations, the Notices to Airmen of the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt and the AIP published by the DFS. I am not giving legal advice here, but telling you what question you need to ask.

How does EuroPilot Connect render the chart?

Now for the part where I'm biased. Therefore, numbers instead of claims.

EuroPilot Connect does not contain a licensed ICAO chart edition. We draw the chart ourselves from aeronautical databases, with our own color system based on ICAO conventions and an ICAO chart mode that approximates the official 1:500,000 look. Approximates, not matches. If you need the official chart edition pixel-perfect on your tablet, you're better off with a chart publisher than with us.

What is actually on the screen:

• The base map comes from self-hosted Protomaps vector tiles for 25 European countries, delivered from our own infrastructure instead of a third-party map service.
• The terrain shading is placed as a pre-baked static tile under the aeronautical data, so that the device does not have to decode altitude data during flight.
• The aeronautical database above it draws aerodromes of every type with frequency and aerodrome elevation, Navaids such as VOR, NDB, DME and VORTAC, runway geometry to scale with identifier, as well as mandatory reporting points and non-mandatory VFR reporting points, plus detailed OpenStreetMap layouts of the aerodromes.
• The airspace display includes CTR, TMA and CTA, FIR and UIR, restricted, prohibited and danger areas, TMZ, RMZ, gliding areas and ATZ, each with classification, upper and lower limits and colored filling. An altitude filter reduces the display to your selected altitude.
• The traffic patterns where available, come from the geometry of official DFS visual approach charts, otherwise from calculated rectangular patterns, each with left or right traffic and traffic pattern altitude.
• IFR layers with airways, waypoints and ILS can be switched on via a VFR/IFR switch, plus an obstacle layer for the route.
• NOTAMs appear in geographical context along the route.
• Offline a tap on a country downloads map, terrain, aerodromes, airspaces, navaids, runways, reporting points, traffic patterns and aerodrome charts to the device.

The point where the rendered approach pays off is timeliness. The aeronautical data follows the 28-day AIRAC cycle and is pulled from the server with each new cycle, without you having to buy a new chart edition or install an app update.

Where our aeronautical data comes from

The data set primarily comes from KEYVAN Aviation via a commercial ARINC-424 license, supplemented by openAIP and open flightmaps. KEYVAN is one of eight eight companies that hold a certificate for data services (DAT) in the EASA list of approved ATM/ANS organizations ; the list is current as of September 4, 2026, KEYVAN's certificate is EASA.AOA.DAT.033 as Type 1. According to KEYVAN, they evaluate AIP, AIC and NOTAM from 195 countries, cover over 32,000 aerodromes and 42,000 runways, and deliver in ARINC-424 format in AIRAC rhythm.

Two sentences for classification, so that no wrong impression arises. The certificate applies to the data provider and its process data provider and its process, not our app: EuroPilot Connect is not an approved avionics system and does not replace certified onboard equipment. And Type 1 means that the database meets data quality requirements without compatibility with a specific approved onboard application being determined.

What can a rendered chart do better, and what not?

Honestly sorted, in both directions.

Better:

• Layers on and off. You can hide obstacles, IFR data, or traffic patterns. A chart sheet is an image; everything stays on it.
• Altitude filter. The display can be reduced to your planned altitude. This declutters the chart exactly where it becomes unreadable in flight.
• Updates every 28 days instead of at the pace of chart publication.
• Labels that scale. With the rendered method, the text is reset with each zoom instead of being enlarged as part of the map image.
• Interactive. In 3D airspace, tapping opens the details of the volume, and a frequency on the chart can be tapped and sent to a connected radio.

Not better:

• It is not the official chart image. If training, examination, or club standards require precisely this image, you need precisely this image.
• The display is only as good as the data set. What is missing from the source is missing from the screen, and you won't see it on the chart.
• Familiarity comes at a cost. A slightly different color scheme reads slower on the first few flights than the chart you've known since training.
• A screen does not replace a look outside. VFR means visual flight. The chart is a second opinion.

How do you know if your chart data is current?

Ask your app three questions on the ground before you trust it in flight.

What is the data version on the device? An app that tells you the AIRAC cycle or at least a date of the last synchronization gives you a verifiable answer. An app that conceals this demands trust without proof.

What happens in a dead zone? Offline doesn't mean everything is offline. Geometry is usually on the device; NOTAMs and weather, if in doubt, show the status of the last retrieval.

Which layer is missing? Take an area you know by heart, such as Lake Constance around Friedrichshafen (EDNY) with its control zone and the nearby Swiss border, and compare your app's display with the current ICAO chart. Not to check the app, but to know where its image differs from the image in your head.

The 28 days of the AIRAC cycle are only the rhythm for planned changes. NOTAMs and weather change continuously and must be retrieved fresh before each flight.

The app is natively built for iOS and has been in the App Store since August 5, 2026, click here to download; on Apple Silicon Macs, the same app runs via Mac Catalyst. An Android version is under development and not yet usable today. The license costs €99 per year for up to three devices, is purchased on the website, and the first 30 days are free.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a digital ICAO chart? A digital ICAO chart is a VFR aeronautical chart in ICAO style displayed on a screen. The term is used for two different products: for the licensed edition of an official or published chart sheet as an additional layer in an app, and for a chart that an app itself draws from aeronautical data in an ICAO-like appearance.

Is the ICAO chart included in every flight app? No. Some apps render their own chart and do not include any licensed chart edition. Others offer the official chart as a paid add-on product. Chart publishers like Rogers Data explicitly sell their digital VFR charts as licenses for third-party apps.

How often is the ICAO 1:500,000 chart published? The DFS publishes the German ICAO 1:500,000 chart as an annual edition; the 2026 edition has been announced for March 19, 2026. Digital aeronautical data in apps, however, follow the 28-day AIRAC cycle.

Am I allowed to fly with only a tablet instead of a paper chart? SERA.2010(b) requires you to familiarize yourself with all available relevant information before the flight, but does not prescribe a medium. Whether and how a paper chart must be carried depends on the national regulations of your flight. Regardless, a contingency plan for battery, heat, and app crash is a practical necessity.

What is the AIRAC cycle? AIRAC stands for Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control. Schedulable changes to aeronautical information become effective worldwide on fixed dates every 28 days. Apps that update their data at this rhythm are more current than an annual chart edition.

Does the rendered chart look exactly like the official ICAO chart? No, it comes close. A rendered chart uses its own color and symbol system, based on ICAO conventions. Those who need the exact official chart image need the licensed chart edition.

Does a digital ICAO chart work without internet? Only to the extent that it was previously loaded onto the device. Chart, terrain, and aeronautical geometry can be kept offline. Live data such as NOTAM and weather show the status of the last retrieval in a radio dead zone.

Conclusion

The most important insight on this topic is not in a feature list, but in a follow-up question. If someone sells you a digital ICAO chart, ask if you are getting a chart sheet or a drawing from data. Both are legitimate, both have their place, and both cost different amounts of money and age at different rates.

For training and for everyone who needs the familiar chart image, the licensed edition is the more honest purchase. For pilots who filter layers, fly offline, and want current data every 28 days, the rendered chart is the more practical way. We chose the latter for precisely this reason, and I'd rather tell you openly what that costs than pretend the difference doesn't exist.

What matters in a navigation app beyond the chart is in Navigation app for pilots. How the chart should be oriented in flight, in Moving Map in the Cockpit, and what of it must be on the device without reception, in the Offline Flight Navigation.

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