So I’m a little bit cranky today (you might not have noticed that from my anti-ARNAV posting :-)) because I’ve been recently indoctrinated into an activity that must be the bane of all instrument pilots out there.
I bought my first trip-kit for crossing the US (to pick up my '22) recently. Before then, I’ve always used the California express service, which gives me a complete new book of plates every 56 days, with a tiny pack of updates every 28.
I spent the last 2+ hours filing Jepp updates for my continental 48 trip kit. There were probably 300-400 changed plates in this one update. This is ridiculous–if I had a subscription, I’d be wasting a lot of my life doing this every 28 days.
What do the rest of you who fly cross-US IFR do?
I’ve seen the new-er FAA(NOS) plates, and frankly, they look great now. They’re a lot cheaper, and you can just buy the bound books and walk away a happy camper.
That said, everyone I know, without question, uses the Jepp plates (even if they use the NOS enroute charts). Is it just familiarity, or are the Jepp plates still really better than the NOS ones? The only real advantage I see at a cursory glance is that STAR/DPs are duplicated in the Jepp.
Is everyone buying Jeppview and carrying around a laptop? Is everyone just saying “screw it” and secretly flying using just their GPS? Do you only file the plates you use? 
If anyone has any sage advice to help a newbie IFR pilot such as myself, please turn me on to it. I don’t want to ever, ever, have to waste hours of my life in that fashion again.
I have always used the NOS bound plates. Simple, cheap, effective. I only buy what I need, when I need them. I can get them anywhere. I’m also supporting my local FBO. They work for me.
Derek
What do the rest of you who fly cross-US IFR do?
That said, everyone I know, without question, uses the Jepp plates (even if they use the NOS enroute charts). Is it just familiarity, or are the Jepp plates still really better than the NOS ones? The only real advantage I see at a cursory glance is that STAR/DPs are duplicated in the Jepp.
Is everyone buying Jeppview and carrying around a laptop? Is everyone just saying “screw it” and secretly flying using just their GPS? Do you only file the plates you use? 
So I’m a little bit cranky today …
I bought my first trip-kit for crossing the US (to pick up my '22) recently …
Wait, let me get this straight. You’re getting ready to pick up your SR22, Serial No. 1, if I’m not mistaken, and you’re CRANKY!?
So, when’s the big day?
-Mike (waiting four more months for HIS '22)
So I’m a little bit cranky today (you might not have noticed that from my anti-ARNAV posting :-)) because I’ve been recently indoctrinated into an activity that must be the bane of all instrument pilots out there.
I bought my first trip-kit for crossing the US (to pick up my '22) recently. Before then, I’ve always used the California express service, which gives me a complete new book of plates every 56 days, with a tiny pack of updates every 28.
I spent the last 2+ hours filing Jepp updates for my continental 48 trip kit. There were probably 300-400 changed plates in this one update. This is ridiculous–if I had a subscription, I’d be wasting a lot of my life doing this every 28 days.
What do the rest of you who fly cross-US IFR do?
I’ve seen the new-er FAA(NOS) plates, and frankly, they look great now. They’re a lot cheaper, and you can just buy the bound books and walk away a happy camper.
That said, everyone I know, without question, uses the Jepp plates (even if they use the NOS enroute charts). Is it just familiarity, or are the Jepp plates still really better than the NOS ones? The only real advantage I see at a cursory glance is that STAR/DPs are duplicated in the Jepp.
Is everyone buying Jeppview and carrying around a laptop? Is everyone just saying “screw it” and secretly flying using just their GPS? Do you only file the plates you use?
If anyone has any sage advice to help a newbie IFR pilot such as myself, please turn me on to it. I don’t want to ever, ever, have to waste hours of my life in that fashion again.
Now Paul, son. You have before you a wonderful opportunity to not only keep your charts up to date, but to keep everything else up too (and) date.
What I do for my G-IV is to obtain the services of a nubile young thing to do the filing for me. Such remarkable talents can be found everywhere; I’ve never had a problem myself. And they are only to happy to be of service to those among us successful enough to acquire ownership of the finest aircraft, and other things too.
The best to you.
Hugh H.
Good questions. Being an ex-military type, IÂ’ve always used the NOS plates and charts. The only thing I find awkward about them is the chart size: they’re so big that using them in the cockpit requires a lot of folding and unfolding, especially when your route continues on the back.
Are the Jepp charts any better in that regard?
As to the “GPS-and-go,” question, I guess that would be okay if your GPS had all the chart info. Mine doesn’t (GX55), e.g., MEA’s are missing, as well as “published” holding patterns. Maybe the 430 is better in that regard.
Joe
So I’m a little bit cranky today (you might not have noticed that from my anti-ARNAV posting :-)) because I’ve been recently indoctrinated into an activity that must be the bane of all instrument pilots out there.
I bought my first trip-kit for crossing the US (to pick up my '22) recently. Before then, I’ve always used the California express service, which gives me a complete new book of plates every 56 days, with a tiny pack of updates every 28.
I spent the last 2+ hours filing Jepp updates for my continental 48 trip kit. There were probably 300-400 changed plates in this one update. This is ridiculous–if I had a subscription, I’d be wasting a lot of my life doing this every 28 days.
What do the rest of you who fly cross-US IFR do?
I’ve seen the new-er FAA(NOS) plates, and frankly, they look great now. They’re a lot cheaper, and you can just buy the bound books and walk away a happy camper.
That said, everyone I know, without question, uses the Jepp plates (even if they use the NOS enroute charts). Is it just familiarity, or are the Jepp plates still really better than the NOS ones? The only real advantage I see at a cursory glance is that STAR/DPs are duplicated in the Jepp.
Is everyone buying Jeppview and carrying around a laptop? Is everyone just saying “screw it” and secretly flying using just their GPS? Do you only file the plates you use?
If anyone has any sage advice to help a newbie IFR pilot such as myself, please turn me on to it. I don’t want to ever, ever, have to waste hours of my life in that fashion again.
I agree that keeping a standard Jepp subscription is a nuisance. I fly a lot of IFR (4000+ total hours) but about 90% of my flights are in and out of less than 20 airports. I suspect that most pilots if they look at how they use their aircraft will find that most of their flights are into and out of the same fields over and over again. My solution to the approach plate problem for the last few years is JeppView. It allows you to save your “favorite airports”. When the new CD comes if any of those airports have updates you can print those only so you have printed charts for every airport you routinely use. For a trip to a different airport you can print out only those airports along your route that meet certain criteria (type of approach, runway length etc.) so you have them for emergency use. I also carry my laptop with me when I travel so by keeping my JeppView CD with me I have access to every approach plate in the country if I need it. While JeppView is not cheap I find it very convenient and it allows me to have everything I need available without having to file multiple revisions every two weeks. I would love it if there was an interface with the MFD to allow the plate to be shown on the screen.
Also, remember that in an emergency (a real one, not one because you forgot your charts) all the approaches are in the GNS 430 database and the controller can give you the appropriate altitudes if you request that assistance.
Hope this is helpful.
Jerry (former Duke owner and waiting for my SR22 #69)
So I’m a little bit cranky today (you might not have noticed that from my anti-ARNAV posting :-)) because I’ve been recently indoctrinated into an activity that must be the bane of all instrument pilots out there.
I bought my first trip-kit for crossing the US (to pick up my '22) recently. Before then, I’ve always used the California express service, which gives me a complete new book of plates every 56 days, with a tiny pack of updates every 28.
I spent the last 2+ hours filing Jepp updates for my continental 48 trip kit. There were probably 300-400 changed plates in this one update. This is ridiculous–if I had a subscription, I’d be wasting a lot of my life doing this every 28 days.
What do the rest of you who fly cross-US IFR do?
I’ve seen the new-er FAA(NOS) plates, and frankly, they look great now. They’re a lot cheaper, and you can just buy the bound books and walk away a happy camper.
That said, everyone I know, without question, uses the Jepp plates (even if they use the NOS enroute charts). Is it just familiarity, or are the Jepp plates still really better than the NOS ones? The only real advantage I see at a cursory glance is that STAR/DPs are duplicated in the Jepp.
Is everyone buying Jeppview and carrying around a laptop? Is everyone just saying “screw it” and secretly flying using just their GPS? Do you only file the plates you use?
If anyone has any sage advice to help a newbie IFR pilot such as myself, please turn me on to it. I don’t want to ever, ever, have to waste hours of my life in that fashion again.
www.airchart.com
FWIW, MHO on these aircharts. I buy them and carry them, but I (almost) never use them.
Reason: They qualify as legal charts if you keep the updates with them (quasi keeping them “updated”), and they cover everywhere. However, I find them painful to use. Because they’re bound in a book, plotting a route on the ground is tedious, and trying to plot changes (or find VORs, intersections, etc.) in the air is just plain masochistic. So I use the NOS charts, which I prefer to Jepp charts, and if I have to go some unplanned place not covered by charts I have with me (not likely), I am still legal, and my trusty GPS will get me there in practice.
The airchart system doesn’t have anything approaching a workable approach-plate publication mechanism (IMHO), so I use Jepp or NOS for that.
Just MHO.
Mike.
www.airchart.com
However, I find them painful to use
For VFR I got the Topographical charts which I prefer to the sectionals, because it is easier to go from one to the next, and the book is much better organized than a bunch of loose charts. I would like it better if the book was actually sectionals instead of WACs, although sectionals for all class B and C airports are in the back.
Now that I have my IFR I tried ordering the IFR enroute book, but they were out this year so I won’t know until May when the new book is published what they are like.
On the approach plates I was thinking of using your philosophy, just buy the updates and keep them in the plane so I will always be legal.
Mike, you just put it all in perspective.
I’ll file Jepp plates all day long if it means that I get to pick up my baby.
I only mentioned the trip to DLH in the context of my frustration over hand-filing the Jepp updates for a trans-continental trip. The folks at Cirrus have already announced anticipated timeframes for the SR22 delivery. I suspect they would prefer for me to not accidently misquote them or cause confusion, so it would be best to refer to their recent press release.
I plan to bring a laptop along to DLH, so I promise I’ll send a message after the keys are in my hand–assuming I don’t kill myself shooting practice approaches in the snow up there.
Paul