Approach Charts

Lima_Charlie

New Member
Does anyone have any advice on how to go about getting the Approach charts for as little $$$ as possible? This topic was just brushed over in our groundschool, so I am trying to figure out what kind of options I have. We have an option to buy the SW set and a 4 month starter subscription w/ the leather binder for $178. Is this a good deal? Can it be beat? If so, where!? :)

Thanks, J.
 
The cheapest prices I've found were by getting a year's subscription at www.ipilot.com.

Assuming we're talking Jeppesen.

Or, you can be like me and swear you'll get the subscription next time, when you have the $$$
crazy.gif
 
Just go with the Jepp Express pack and a duraflo binder. No need for a student to shell out for the subscription or the leather.

Edit: spinnerspilotshop.com has the southwest express pack 1 yr subscription for $141.50, $60 cheaper than buying a new pack yourself every time it's released, which would pay for the binder. But again, I question the need for a student to buy the subscription. Buy a pack to learn it, then buy NACO charts until you get hired by someone who's willing to pay for your Jepp subscription.
 
heck no, don't buy the NACO charts.

Just go here:

http://www.myairplane.com/databases/approach/index.php

Print them as you need them.

That is the cheap way to go.

I like Jepp better, but the express pack thing is the way to go. Buy it one time, and then check against the free charts from the above link to make sure your Jepp charts are still current. I'd say maybe 10% of the Jepp packs actually change in an update, if that. Print the free chart, correct the Jepp chart to match, and good to go.

Josh
 
If you belong to AOPA the NACO (NOS) approach charts are free.
No $$$$ to spend......
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you belong to AOPA the NACO (NOS) approach charts are free.
No $$$$ to spend......

[/ QUOTE ]

OK, we're diverting to KBZN for weather.....

DOH, I never printed the chart!!!!!
crazy.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
OK, we're diverting to KBZN for weather.....

DOH, I never printed the chart!!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Now I know you're just jiving me, but if one has the time and the ink, the can print them all. Not for me though. I pick up the region at the FBO and use the AOPA site to replace any worn out or misplaced by the kids.

wink.gif
 
We have a JeppView subscription at the FBO where I work(ed). Every plate in the U.S., Canada and Caribbean, updated monthly. The one thing that I don't like about it is if I had to go on a trip, either I had to wait 3 hours for the crappy printer to spit out the whole route, or take along NOS charts as a cheap backup. Personally, I HATE NOS, so normally I just used lots of ink- hell, it probably came out of my paycheck one way or another anyways.
 
it costs just as much to print them out on a printer as to spend 4.10 on a set of NOS charts. I don't know why people bash them, I've been using them safely...
 
I like Jepp. And for most flying out of PHX the SW pack is more than enough. Hell, unless you want to spend an entire day, flying one way, you're probably not going to be leaving the state which means you'll be doing approaches under the PHX class Bravo or in TUS.

I broke down and bought NOS plates for the St. Louis trip. And, yes, they do suck but in a pinch they were cheaper. But only because I didn't buy the ERLACs and the other supplemenal books that would have equaled the express packs for the routes. And that's were NOS is a little more fleixible. The books are broken up a little more than the Jepp packs and thus you're not wasting money on overlap when doing long, long cross countries.
 
We have Jepp plates at work for the charter aircraft. I use NOS when I fly. Jepp charts and plates are obviously nicer.. but not that much nicer (in my relatively inexperienced opinion). Also, the NOS enroute charts are printed on better (more durable) paper.
 
So what exactly is wrong with NOS charts. My flight school uses CR~ROM based training by Cessna/King Schools and in there lessons they use the NOS charts and they do make mention of the Jepp charts but there "mainstay" is the NOS charts.

The NOS charts seem very clear and consise and very easy to read. Jepp charts definalty aren't bad either but seeing as my CD-ROM based training teaches navigation via the NOS I just kinda default to em but have no real bias toward either one.

Anyone care to explain to me the major diff. between the NOS and Jepp charts and maybe why they prefer one over the other? THX.


Everett
 
Nothing's wrong with either chart! They're both very good.

Military pilots use NOS all the time, as does at least one airline (can't remember who, maybe Alaska?). Plus, they're a heck of a lot cheaper!

I personally prefer Jeppesen for a number of reasons:
1) I learned with them (probably the biggest reason)
2) I like the approach brief style layout, though NOS is doing it this way now, too.
3) I like the colored mountains, though again NOS is doing this now too.
4) I like how you see what direction you turn on procedure turns and holds, NOS just has a barb.

It pretty much comes down to my comfort level while flying single pilot IFR, I learned with Jepp, I'm sticking with Jepp.
 
I mainly like the Jepps because they're much clearer (to me anyhow) to read. The BriefingStrip at the top is a big plus, in my opinion. On the NOS, I have to look for this information.

I just prefer the Jepps over the NOS charts.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I mainly like the Jepps because they're much clearer (to me anyhow) to read. The BriefingStrip at the top is a big plus, in my opinion. On the NOS, I have to look for this information.

.

[/ QUOTE ]

NOS, at least the military FLIP version, have the new approach format too.

NOS is what I was brought up on, so like you, I simply prefer it. Jepps are good too, in fact I had to maintain my jepp binder when I was at my airline, but I never used them. The revisions drove me crazy. Hated seeing that brown envelope show up in the mail.........
 
If you take one express pack and then buy all the NOS (I know, I know, .. NACO or whatever the hell they're called now) products you need to cover the same territory as the express pack the price is within about something like $4 of one another. In other words for the same information the price is equal. Where NOS is "cheaper" is they break their charts up a little more which allows you to get away with less overlap.

That's the one thing I hate about the express packs - damn near every "sector" has at least one state overlapping so you end up purchasing charts you already have!
mad.gif


I like Jepp because that's what I learned on and, to me, they lay out the information better and are less cluttered. NOS puts all that "enroute" and "feeder" and "terminal" ring cr@p on a lot of the plates and all it really does is clutter up the plate. I agree that the NOS ERLAC are nicer but if you're swapping them out every 28 days what does it matter?

In the end it just comes down to what you've learned on. But it's a very, very good idea to get used to the other type.
grin.gif
 
Pilot 602----not always true. In Florida the express pack is around $30. The Naco is about $4 for the approach and another $4 for the enroute...which covers more area
 
[ QUOTE ]
Pilot 602----not always true. In Florida the express pack is around $30. The Naco is about $4 for the approach and another $4 for the enroute...which covers more area

[/ QUOTE ]

Screw it.

Just be El Cheapo like the guy I saw at a pilot shop one day.....

He was so cheap, I saw him with a small notepad, leafing through the NOS plates and jotting down a bastardized plan/profile view line on his notepad, with altitudes/MDAs/DMEs hastily written in at the appropriate places.......

BUT.....the cheapest person I've EVER encountered was at McChord AFB, Washington. I'm in line at the Burger King, and a Air Force Major (C-141 pilot) is in front of me. He orders a kids meal of chicken tenders and asks for many BBQ sauce packs, then asks for more than the 3 he was given. I see him put the packs in his flight jacket pocket. Looking towards me, he notices me looking at him with a questioning look. He explains that by getting the free BBQ sauces, he doesn't have to buy a bottle of BBQ sauce for his chicken he's grilling that evening; that by ordering a kids meal, he can eat just enough food to fill him up, and the kids meal cup is small enough to keep in his flight jacket pocket so he can have free refills everytime he returns to the Burger King and never having to by a drink again until the cup wears out; and best of all, since it's his 2 year old daughter's birthday in a couple of days, all he's got to do is find an outdated Sectional chart to wrap the toy surprise in to give to her..........OMG!!!!!!!!!!! EL CHEAPO!!!!!!!!!!!! not to mention tacky.

(sorry to hijack the thread with cheap-person stories......)
 
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