PLT055: High Altitude Enroute Charts
What code PLT055 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study High Altitude Enroute Charts before your checkride.
Interpret information on a High Altitude Chart
What this means for your checkride
The IFR high altitude enroute chart covers Class A airspace at and above 18,000 feet. It shows jet routes and RNAV Q-routes, high-altitude navaids, fixes, and the frequencies and altitudes for that structure, without the clutter of low-altitude airways and terrain detail.
High-altitude IFR uses a different chart and route structure, so the FAA tests reading jet routes and the high enroute chart.
Pilots try to use the low enroute chart above 18,000 feet. The airway structure changes to jet routes on the high chart in Class A airspace, which is where that flight takes place.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.