Whidbey Island Class C, NAS Whidbey and R-6701 · Seattle Sectional, 3 Sep 2026 – 29 Oct 2026 · Seattle.pdf (FAA current sectional, not redistributed), p. 1 · Not for navigation
Refer to the current Seattle sectional excerpt over Whidbey Island. A large bold "25" is printed in this quadrangle. What does this figure mean?
Why: This is the quadrangle's Maximum Elevation Figure (MEF), shown in thousands and hundreds of feet MSL per the chart's own MEF note, based on the highest known terrain or obstruction in that quadrangle. Reading "25" the same way as the chart's worked example ("12,500 feet" printed as "12" with a smaller raised "5"), "2" with a smaller raised "5" means 2,500 feet MSL — a low, flat quadrangle consistent with Puget Sound-area terrain.
Misreads the MEF's thousands-and-hundreds format as a flat number in thousands — "25" means 2,500 (2 thousand, 5 hundred), not 25,000.
Every sectional chart has a single fixed print scale (1:500,000) across the entire sheet — a bold number inside one quadrangle is never a local scale indicator.
UA.II.B.K7 · Source: Seattle.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