"Jose" wrote in message
om...

One case was tower but no D going to tower with D.
The other case was D but no tower, going to tower with D.

The initial (or middle) condition was that the normally synched tower/D
combination was out of synch. That is a degree of sameness.

True, they were out of synch in the opposite direction, so it was not
"identical". But the degree of sameness is sufficient (IMHO) for the
point of the post.


In other words, not the same thing.



So, what exactly is the charting requirement for a magenta vs a blue
airport symbol? And what is the exact relationship between class D and a
tower?


A blue airport symbol indicates an airport with a control tower, a magenta
airport symbol indicates an airport without a control tower.



And while I'm at it... Special VFR used to be available in a surface area.


It still is.



With the new alphabet, is it available above the ceiling of the class D?


No. What would be the purpose of Special VFR above the ceiling of a surface
area?