ZAE (Aero-Center Map) test.....

Cirrus12 Epic Member So. NH

Don't you pretty much stay in one area? What's the point in learning everything if you're never going to work with most of it?

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

you'll work with surrounding airspace. it's not like all your airplanes originate and terminate in your sector or area. you'll need to know where their coming from and where their going. plus, LOAs/SOPs will dictate routing that is usually not in your airspace. so you need to know where those are.

it sucks, i know, but it's a nature of the beast. it only helps to know all that stuff. it's not like their making u learn pointless stuff that you'll just data dump a second after the test. well...maybe some of it u will and should.

mbalunda Epic Member

Nearly. The sector boundary lines are drawn in, as well as approach airspace. VORs and VORTACs are on there too but they aren't named. Everything else has to be written....everything.

It's easy though.

SnareMV17 Newcomer

Anyone have an good methods for memorizing the map? We just started enroute basics yesterday and I'm already thinking forward to map memorization.

DanielEtvs Trusted Member hank krakowskis

the drawing of the AERO Center map really is a joke compared to the maps you will draw when you get to your facility. that being said, you will feel like drawing the AERO center map is a daunting task and a ton of info to remember.... but in truth after a couple nights of studying it while drinking watered down OK beer, you wil lretain the info and its not too bad.

Snare buy some 3x5 index cards and make some flashcards perhaps with the Fix on one side and the the airways/radials on the other, etc. Just repitition though will make the info stick in your head youd be surprised. In the field the giant map tests are considered kind of a joke and almost hazing and antiquated with no real practical advantage other than a sort of ATC right of passage..... almost everyone dumps most of the stupid radials and mileages and stuff within a day or two after stopping studying.

ATCracer Rookie South Florida

First thing you need to do is get the blank map and take it to get blown up and laminated, as well as get the normal one laminated as well so you can bring it in to class. Get some dry erase markers. Start drawing the map 1 vector at a time.

First thing to do is Learn what all the Vortacs, VOR-DME's, Center airspaces and the different AEZ sectors down. Next, draw 1 airway till you can recall it without any problems, then draw it and 1 more, once you have those two, draw them and another one. Work this process till you know all the airways by heart. Then you start to add radials to all of them. I, personally, started at MLU until I knew the radials and what vector they were, and then moved to HEZ, and all the way around. The bear to remember is JAN, since there are so many. After that I memorized the MEA's, MCA's, MOCA's, MIA chart, and restricted airspace's. After all that was down no problem I tackled the biggest bear of the map, the mileages. I started with the Diamond miles, and then memorized the mileages of the entire airways 1 airway at a time.

After all the miles are done, memorize where the airports and the tags of each one and you've got the map memorized.


Do not look at the map as this massive thing you have to imprint into your brain. Little bites each day and you'll have it down. I've been here since Jan 11th, and its been barely over a week and I have it 99% memorized.

This is the way I tackled it with good results. There are tons of other very good ways of memorizing it. Find one that caters to your learning style. Have fun with it!

Good luck!

JosueZQ8 Trusted Member Akron, OH

These people speak the truth!! It seems like an impossible task the 1st time you hold the map in your hand, but after a few nights of breaking it down like they've suggested, you'll quickly realize..."Wow, this really isn't bad? Why was I stressing so much over this!?" LOL

We use the map at CCBC, twice actually. We learn it for 3rd semester non-radar, then we learn it again for 4th semester radar, (more like a refresher since we had been using it for the past 4 months) but with the obvious radar changes, no diamond/boundry mileages, APCH airspace limitation changes, jet routes, etc. We also had to memorize the APCH plates for ILS RWY18 to GWO and NDB RWY1 to VKS.

barty Trusted Member

Everyone just works out a technique that works best for them. I *generally* go down an airway, and learn all of the intersections, mileages, and MEAs along it before going on to another one. Since the actual area maps are a little more complex, I'll usually do the same, but in one sector at a time just to make it a bit more digestible.

At ZME, you'll draw your high and low maps three times each before you're finished with training. When you see your actual area maps for the first time, they'll seem to be equally intimidating, but once you get a system down that works for you, they too will seem to be pretty easy. They just become tedious, some of them taking over an hour to draw from start to finish.

scope dope Trusted Member

we had to label the entire center high and low, the airways were drawn and we just needed to add the names along with the vortacs

flyerchic0212 Senior Member Maryland

not to mention learning to draw approach plates and all sids and stars used in your area... i would take that aero center map back ANY day!