I am trying to decide which IFR charts to use. Anyone here subscribe to the premium Aeroplanner at $99 per year?
It looks like it might be a good alternative to piecing together briefings from different sources along with subscribing to Jep or Nos.
Assuming you don’t mind printing out the charts, at $99 bucks it seems like a reasonable alternative to chart subscriptions, etc.
I would be interested in one additional aspect of this, if anyone has the experience. What do you do if you need to divert for some reason and have not downloaded the necessary charts? I would certainly like a less expensive and easier system, but I have not been able to get past this question.
Well, uh … you punt!
While you should have all the charts appropriate for you flight available one emergency resource you should keep in mind is ATC. In a pinch they can give you any information you need for any approach in their airspace. Couple that with what you have in the Garmin Databases and you ought to be OK.
That said, relying on ATC should be thought of as an emergency procedure only. But it does work and is an excellent backup. Just don’t use that service routinely or they may (and should) start to ask questions.
Jerry Seckler
If you download the charts at 1600 x 1600, you will get as wide a swath as possible to either side of your course. Then you hope you don’t get routed off the edge of the printout.
-Mike
Lou -
For exactly this reason I’m still subscribing to Jepp.
If you didn’t need the full chart set, you can download NOS charts from the AOPA Airport Directory section. They are NOS charts, but useable nonetheless.
And, I’ve done that once in awhile when I’m travelling west of the Mississippi (live in SC and only subscribe Eastern US). But, I’ve gotten burned. Ran into an unexpected line of thunderstorms WELL away from intended destination or alternate. Got some help from ATC, but neither they nor I were too happy about it.
Have also thought about one of the PC Tablet based solutions, but at $6000 and having the “what if it dies / the battery goes” issue, I haven’t been willing to buy that one either. I did fly on a frac jet recently and they had dual tablets - one for pilot and copilot. But that is $12,000.
So, updating the Jepp approach plate books remains my second least favorite activity. Just slightly better than arriving at an airport in minimum conditions with no approach plate at all.
Bob
The responses to this question just serve to confirm my uneasiness with printing out a few pages and taking off. However, I would still like to find an acceptable alternative to the biweekly Jepp updates. Has anyone tried Howie Keefer’s system?
Avidyne plans to implement display of JeppView charts on their new display. I’d guestimate you’ll see it in the 2nd half of 2002.
What the heck, Bob, it’s only money.
Gordon: My understanding was also that charts would be available on the Avidyne. However, today 11-16-01, I received this email from Avidyne:
"Thank you for your email. We currently haven’t outlined the datalink services yet including the
features offered such as ceiling/visibility, wind vectors etc. We expect to announce the service
packages closer to product launch which is scheduled for mid 2002. Cirrus will dictate when
datalink will be available on the Cirrus version of the EX5000, but we expect it to be around the
same time as product launch. As with all FlightMax products, the EX5000 will be upgradeable so
datalink and other enhancements can be added as new technology arises.
Cirrus has indicated to us that they will begin Avidyne installations in production aircraft in January,
2002. We will have the portable loader and subscription services available at that time for Nav Data
updates. We haven’t finalized the subscription services yet, and the loader may or may not be
included with the subscription. The services will only offer Nav Data, no charts or sectionals (they
are not available on the EX5000). The NavData includes updates on all airspace, waypoint, airway,
airport etc. information. It will also include obstacle and curved flight path information.
We haven’t looked into interfacing with the Garmin GTX 330 yet. Cirrus is dictating to us the
interfaces they want to see. If they request us to research interfacing with the Garmin GTX 330, we
will do so. You may want to discuss this with Cirrus Representatives. If you have any other
questions, please let me know. Thanks and have a great weekend.
Regards,
Jamie Luster
Sales Representative"
If your information is correct, that is Avidyne will read the JeppView chart data off the CD and display on the screen, that is a real breakthrough!
This would be the very first instance of a single subscription actually being able to be used by multiple devices. I already plan to subscribe to JeppView and in fact Jeppesen sent me a sample CD that works fine. If I can load this in my laptop and review and print charts in the flight planning stage and then take the CD to the aircraft and load it into the Avidyne I am then able to use my subscription for display of the same data in two different ways. That’s where all of this subscription business should be going. I would like to get the the point where I pay Jeppesen a single subscription fee and get data that can be read by my laptop,. the Avidyne, the Garmin 430’s and by the Sandel instead of paying many times over for the same basic data in various data formats.
Only question is: why does Jamie Luster from Avidyne indicate that no charts or sectionals are available on the EX5000? Have you got any further insights from the AOPA convention on this point?
And, if the Avidyne fails, I’m without approach charts again.
On balance, I am underwhelmed at the utility of approach charts on a display - particularly as it would then require a 28 day cycle update just like the Garmin. The Garmin / Sandel / ARNAV or Avidyne will display the flight portion. For the rest . . .
And, I’ve still got the Jepp books to contend with as a backup.
For the uninitiated, “Howie Keeper” has a lovely, sweet young thang who does his Jepp filing for him … among other duties and responsibilities.
You’;ve got me - what is Howie Keefer’s system? ?
Has anyone tried Howie Keefer’s system?
I use them for the IFR enroute and the VFR (WACS). It is a lot cheaper than a subscription and in the cockpit it gives me a single book for the entire US with an page linking system that makes it easy to get from the edge of one chart to the adjacent edge of the next chart. I still use NOS approach charts (a year subscription is only $20 per book) for the areas around me. It would be nice to have the entire US, but for that I am waiting for an electronic version. The cost of a NOS subscription for the entire US is not bad (especially compared to electronic versions), but carrying around 20 pounds worth of approach plates is not an attractive option.
Stephen:
See my 11/10 post “AOPA Cirrus 411.” Avidyne stated three items would be pursued: 1) Engine monitoring, 2) wx, 3) approach plates on-screen.
I may have use the term “Jeppview” too optimistically. They did not go into specifics at all about approach plate viewing or the source of the data. I’m a current Jeppview subscriber, and I too would like to see the day when we don’t have 5 $ubscriptions for the $ame data.
At the show, Jeppesen talked about an upcoming subscription service that would have various “levels.” E.g., if you were a “gold” level subscriber you’d get, say, three kinds of data.
The Air Chart System is described at http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/airchart/http://www.avweb.com/sponsors/airchart/.