USAF Academy Alert Area A-260 and Colorado Springs Class C · Denver Sectional, 3 Sep 2026 – 29 Oct 2026 · Denver.pdf (FAA current sectional, not redistributed), p. 1 · Not for navigation
Refer to the current Denver sectional excerpt near Pikes Peak. A large bold "145" is printed in this quadrangle. What is this figure, and what does it mean?
Why: Reading the MEF format the same way as the chart's own worked example ("12,500 feet" printed as "12" with a smaller raised "5"), "145" — a "14" with a smaller raised "5" — means 14,500 feet MSL. This fits the area: Pikes Peak's actual charted summit elevation (14,110 feet, printed elsewhere on this same excerpt) is close to but below this quadrangle's MEF, consistent with the MEF being based on the highest known terrain or obstruction nearby.
Misplaces the decimal point in the MEF's thousands-and-hundreds format — "145" is 14,500 (fourteen thousand five hundred), not 1,450.
An MEF is a terrain/obstruction-clearance figure for an entire quadrangle, derived from the highest known feature within it — it is not the same thing as a single named peak's own charted summit elevation, even when the two values happen to be close.
UA.II.B.K7 · Source: Denver.pdf, current edition sectional chart excerpt + chart margin legend, Maximum Elevation Figures note (gitignored full-resolution source; not redistributed — see sources/README.md) · Reviewed 2026-10-22