last updated september 2026. written by Nathan, a part 135 pilot based in denver who makes the cards at 1500 hours.
an engraved airport card is the airport diagram of one specific field, cut into a credit-card sized piece of anodized aluminum: the runways to scale and in their true orientation, the identifier, the name and the frequencies. it's the diagram a pilot already knows by heart, made into something that stays in the flight bag after the training is over.
where the runways come from
the runway geometry is drawn from survey data, not traced from a screenshot. in the us that's the faa's airport data; elsewhere it's the equivalent national survey, checked against the published aerodrome chart. north is up. runway lengths and angles are true, so a field with a 7,000 ft runway and a 3,000 ft crosswind strip looks like exactly that. the full taxiway and apron layout can be added for $5, drawn from the same source.
the frequencies
the block under the name carries the frequencies pilots actually dial: atis, tower, ground, ctaf, approach, depending on the field. for major airports and us fields they're verified against current publications before engraving. for smaller international fields, the customer types the ones they use and they go on as typed. one extra line can be added for $3.
why credit-card size
because that's what survives. a plaque goes on a wall. a card goes in the wallet, on the keys or in the headset bag and gets seen every flight. the blank is 2.125 by 3.37 inches of anodized aluminum with a pre-drilled hole, and the engraving is cut into the anodized layer rather than printed on top, so it doesn't wear off.
the back
every card carries a small mark on the back at no charge. the paid options are an outline of the customer's aircraft with its registration ($5), a lost and found back with contact details ($9), custom art such as a control tower or a flight school logo ($9), or a training timeline listing every rating and date ($12).
who buys them
students, mostly, or people buying for students. then instructors, for students who passed. then the families: a parent who wants the field where their kid soloed, a spouse who has heard the identifier a thousand times. flight schools order them in batches for graduating classes. since june 2026 they've gone to pilots in 12 countries, the united states, australia, canada and the uk most of all.
how to order one
type the airport identifier on the product page and the card draws in front of you. that preview is the proof. cards are $24 each, three are $72 and ship free worldwide, and everything is made to order in colorado. airport layout card, or read how it works first.
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