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Reading the Toronto Terminal IFR Chart — MEA, MOCA & the Numbers
NAV CANADA · Toronto Terminal (IFR) Chart

Reading the numbers on a terminal chart

A plain-English decoder for the symbols on your Toronto Terminal chart — the altitude stacks (MEA / MOCA), airway designators and mileage, tracks, waypoints, the VOR box, airport data, and the airspace lines — each keyed to the exact labels printed on your chart.

Sample study aid · always fly the current NAV CANADA chart & legend

◎ Your chart, highlighted

The same Toronto Terminal chart — each numbered badge sits in open space with a leader line to the feature (so nothing on the chart is hidden). Tap a badge or a chip below to jump to what that symbol means.

Toronto Terminal IFR chart with numbered annotations 11 · MEA / MOCA altitude stack 22 · Airway + segment mileage 33 · Magnetic track 44 · Waypoint + lat/long 55 · VOR / DME box 66 · Airport data line 77 · TCA boundary 88 · Holding pattern 99 · Frequency box 1010 · FIR boundary 1111 · Green aerodrome
1MEA / MOCA altitude stack 2Airway + segment mileage 3Magnetic track 4Waypoint + lat/long 5VOR / DME box 6Airport data line 7TCA boundary 8Holding pattern 9Frequency box 10FIR boundary 11Green aerodrome

Chart image © Government of Canada / NAV CANADA (via Garmin Pilot) — reproduced for training reference only, not for navigation.

1 The altitude stack — MEA over MOCA

Along every airway you'll see one or two stacked numbers, e.g. 4100 over *3100 (seen here on T616). The top is the MEA; the bottom, with an asterisk, is the MOCA. The single most important habit: the asterisk means MOCA.

4100
*3100
AS PRINTED ON T616
MEA
Minimum Enroute Altitude — 4 100 ft. The lowest altitude that guarantees obstacle clearance and a usable navigation signal (and normally communications) for the whole segment. Fly at or above this and you're legal and safe on that airway.
*MOCA
Minimum Obstacle Clearance Altitude — 3 100 ft. The asterisk is the tell. It guarantees obstacle clearance for the segment, but the nav signal is only assured within 25 NM of the VOR. Useful when ATC assigns lower, but you accept reduced nav coverage.
TIP
Other altitude flavours you may meet: MAA (maximum authorized), MRA (minimum reception, at an off-airway fix), and a small x or flag at a fix marking a mandatory crossing / changeover. Terminal charts also show *2400, *2500, *3000… the same way — those are all MOCAs.

2 Airways, mileage & tracks

Everything that defines the “road”: which airway, how far, and which way it points.

T61424

Airway designator + segment mileage

T614 in a box is the airway name — the T ("Tango") routes here are RNAV (GNSS) airways. The number tucked below the box (24) is the distance in nautical miles for that segment between the two fixes. You'll see T616, T723, T781 the same way.

→ 274  ·  094 →

Magnetic tracks (the 3-digit arrows)

Numbers like 274 and 094 beside little arrows are the airway's magnetic track in each direction (they're reciprocals: 274° one way, 094° back). Others on your chart: 073/258, 072/218, 070/271, 090/270.

✦ SEDOG
N44 00.6 W79 35.1

Waypoints / intersections

Five-letter names (SEDOG, IKLUX, MENTI, DAVSI, KIVUN…) are RNAV waypoints / fixes, each with its latitude & longitude underneath. A star/four-point symbol marks the fix; small perpendicular ticks on the airway flag a reporting point or mileage break.

⟲ BOVOX · 330

Published holding pattern

The little racetrack loop (at BOVOX, marked 330) is a charted hold — the number is the holding course/inbound track. Its shape shows the turn direction so you can fly it without a separate clearance diagram.

3 Navaids & airports

The boxed facility data and the little airport lines — decoded from your chart's own values.

TORONTO  Ch 58(Y)
112.15  YYZ
N43 39.5 W79 37.9 · LONDON

VOR / DME box (Toronto “YYZ”)

112.15 = VOR frequency (MHz). Ch 58(Y) = the paired DME channel. YYZ = ident (with a Morse dot/dash strip to verify it by ear). Then lat/long, and LONDON = the FIR / flight-service unit providing service. The compass rose around Pearson is oriented to the VOR's magnetic north.

569  L  H110

Airport data line (Pearson)

569 = aerodrome elevation in feet ASL. L = lighting available. H110 = longest hard-surfaced runway = 11 000 ft (H + length in hundreds of feet). So Billy Bishop's 252 L H40 reads “elev 252, lit, 4 000-ft hard runway”.

936  ★  L  H35

Other aerodromes (shown in green)

Green airports (Brampton-Caledon, Guelph, Oshawa, Burlington…) read the same way, with an added ★ = rotating beacon. 936 elev, ★ beacon, L lit, H35 = 3 500-ft hard runway. Green = other/VFR-service aerodromes & terminal airspace; confirm sub-fields in the CFS.

123.15  ·  PAL TORONTO 128.275

Frequencies

Free-floating numbers (123.15, 123.275, 133.3, 123.475…) are terminal ATC / FSS frequencies for that sub-area. A boxed name like PAL TORONTO 128.275 is that unit's frequency; 126.7 (bcst) is a broadcast (listen-only) frequency.

4 Airspace lines & shading

The boundaries that tell you whose airspace you're in.

TORONTO TCA 26 NM

Terminal Control Area boundary

The serrated / toothed ring labelled TORONTO TCA 26 NM is the lateral edge of the Toronto Terminal Control Area, 26 NM from the reference point. The teeth point into the controlled airspace.

TORONTO / CLEVELAND

FIR boundary

The heavy plain line lower-right dividing TORONTO from CLEVELAND is a Flight Information Region boundary — here the Canada / U.S. control handoff line.

Line & colour key

Green dashed — control zone / terminal airspace Serrated ring — TCA lateral limit Heavy solid — FIR boundary Grey shading — water / shoreline (Lake Ontario)

5 Symbol legend — the shapes on the chart

A quick visual glossary of the symbols and altitude markings you'll actually see on a NAV CANADA terminal / low-enroute chart. These are original teaching diagrams — confirm exact meanings against the current NAV CANADA chart legend.

Altitudes & sectors
41*31
Airway altitudes (MEA / MOCA)
Top number is the MEA; the one with the asterisk is the MOCA. See section 1 for the full breakdown.
300034003400
Sector altitudes (TAA / MSA)
A circle split into sectors, each with a minimum safe altitude — the TAA (Terminal Arrival Area) on RNAV approaches, or the MSA (Minimum Sector Altitude). Assures obstacle clearance within that sector out to a set distance from the fix.
MAA — maximum authorized
The highest altitude on a segment where the nav signal is still reliable (fly above it and same-frequency navaids can interfere). Charted as "MAA" + altitude.
MRA — minimum reception
The lowest altitude at which you can reliably receive the navaids that define an off-airway intersection. Shown at the fix as "MRA" + altitude.
MCA — minimum crossing altitude
At certain fixes you must cross at or above this altitude when heading toward a higher MEA — so you start the climb early enough. Flagged at the fix with the altitude and direction.
Changeover point (COP)
On a long leg between two VORs, the point where you switch your primary reference from the navaid behind to the one ahead. Only charted when it isn't the midpoint — labelled with the miles to each VOR.
Navaids
VOR
Hexagon. A VHF omnidirectional range — the radial-based navaid (like the Toronto compass rose on your chart).
VOR/DME
Hexagon inside a square — a VOR co-located with DME, so you get bearing and distance (e.g. Toronto Ch 58).
NDB
Dotted concentric rings. A non-directional beacon (LF/MF), flown with the ADF.
DME / TACAN
Square — distance-measuring equipment (military TACAN is the same family).
VORTAC
The VOR hexagon with three small tabs — a VOR (bearing) combined with a TACAN, which gives civil aircraft the DME distance. One facility, both azimuth and distance.
ILS / localizer "feather"
The long tapered feather off a runway end shows the localizer course — the narrow point is the antenna, widening along the approach. The split (one half shaded, one open) marks the front course. Paired with a glideslope, it's the full ILS.
ILS glideslope
The vertical guidance that pairs with the localizer — a beam descending at about 3° to the touchdown zone. Localizer (lateral) + glideslope (vertical) together make a precision ILS; you fly both down to the DA.
Fixes & reporting points
RNAV waypoint
Four-point star. A named GPS fix / intersection (BOLMO, DAVSI…), defined by latitude & longitude.
Compulsory reporting point
Solid triangle. You must report to ATC crossing it (unless radar-identified and told otherwise).
On-request reporting point
Open triangle. Report only when ATC asks for it.
Mileage break
A small X on the airway — a point where the route bends or the mileage is measured, with no navaid there.
Holding in lieu of PT (HILPT)
A charted holding pattern flown as the course reversal on an approach, instead of a procedure turn. Marked at the fix as "hold i.l.o. PT" (as at TOSGA on the sample plate).
Airspace
TCA / control-area boundary
Serrated "toothed" line — the edge of a Terminal Control Area (Toronto TCA 26 NM); teeth point into the controlled airspace.
Control zone
Dashed circle around an airport — controlled airspace to the surface (a CZ). Often shown in green on terminal charts.
Restricted / advisory area
Hatched boundary — special-use airspace: CYR (restricted), CYA (advisory), CYD (danger), with altitudes / NOTAM conditions labelled.
FIR boundary
Heavy long-dashed line — the division between Flight Information Regions (e.g. Toronto ↔ Cleveland).
Aerodromes
Aerodrome (hard runways)
Circle with the runway pattern. The data line gives elevation, lighting and longest hard runway (e.g. 569 L H110).
Other aerodrome
Plain circle — a smaller / non-hard-surface aerodrome. On terminal charts these often appear in green.
Heliport
An "H" — a heliport / helicopter landing site.
Approach lighting (ALS)
Light bars extending from the runway threshold — a centreline with crossbars (the long one is the 1000-ft bar), often with sequenced flashers (the "rabbit"). Seeing the approach lights at the DA/MDA is one of the visual references that lets you continue below minimums (CAR 602.128).

Original diagrams for training — symbol meanings can vary by chart and edition; always confirm against the current NAV CANADA chart legend.

Where to find the official IFR Low / Terminal chart legend

The symbols above are summarised — the authoritative, complete legend lives in a few places:

  1. On the chart itself. Every NAV CANADA Enroute Low Altitude (LO) and Terminal Area chart carries a legend panel in the margin / cover fold. It's the fastest reference — it's the exact edition you're flying.
  2. NAV CANADA “Chart Legend” / Aeronautical Information Products. A standalone legend document for the LO/HI enroute and terminal charts — see NAV CANADA electronic products ↗ and How to use them (PDF) ↗.
  3. TC AIM — “MAP” section (Aeronautical Charts). The Transport Canada Aeronautical Information Manual explains chart symbology, MEA/MOCA and airspace conventions in prose.
  4. Canada Flight Supplement (CFS) for the airport data blocks, and the Designated Airspace Handbook (DAH) for the airspace definitions behind those green lines and the TCA.