New Digital Terminal Procedures Now Online!

aloft

aloft

New Member
A huge leap forward from the crappy bitmap scans available on MyAirplane.com or AOPA.org, all NACO terminal approach procedures are now available online in a vector-based PDF format, or you can buy the entire U.S. on a single DVD for $12.50 (MyAirplane.com will sell this same DVD for $11 including shipping, Sporty's for $9.95 plus shipping).

The advantage to the vector-based format is that it will print cleanly to the maximum resolution of whatever printer you're using, or you can zoom in to 6400% in Acrobat and things will be as crisp as they were at 100%.

This is a pretty big deal!

http://www.naco.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=naco/online/d_tpp
 
#2, #2!

Gah! I can't even read the NACA charts! I've always been a JeppeSnob my whole life.
 
NACA is better...

The most difficult part of updating your NACA charts is finding the trashcan at the FBO.
 
[ QUOTE ]
NACA is better...

The most difficult part of updating your NACA charts is finding the trashcan at the FBO.

[/ QUOTE ]

Same with the Jepp Airway Manual Express!!!!
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One other detail: plates for all military airfields are now available as well--just be sure to specify the full ICAO designator.
 
Yeah the ones on the NACO site are a LOT crisper than on myairplane or AOPA ... and you don't have to pay unless you want them all on CD! Kudos to NACO for doing a good service for all of us.

Although I am a JeppeSnob myself. (Good word Doug!)
 
I keep a Jepps subscription for my area, but its pretty handy to have a back up source like that. Like aloft said the PDF versions on the NACO site are miles ahead of the old bitmap crap of the recent past. I just printed one of these out it came out better than the ones you purchase... better paper I think.
 
Doug (or any airline or major freight pilots),

[semi-related topic]
How many cities do you carry charts for? (Or how many Jepp binders do you carry?)

I would think that the airlines would have a distinct advantage over the corporate/charter/frax guys because you have the potential to visit fewer cities. I know when I had my own charts, just doing Eastern US with Jepp revisions was a real pain. Four (4) 2" binders full. (Can't afford the Q-Service, either) Life is much easier since the company keeps NACO charts in the planes, but the Jepps are soooo much nicer.
 
I've got two Jeppesen manuals. Only the online cities for the aircraft type I'm on so it's more or less all of the domestic Delta cities, and YYZ/YVR/YUL. The diversionary airports are kept in a 'brick' in the cockpit.
 
Dude, these are suuuweeeeeeeeet!

Now I just need to go to work and print off the charts I need.
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No need to waste my inkjet ink.
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This is cool and all, but are ya'll going to seriously print out charts every time you want to go flying? More than that, are you going to print it out on full sheets of paper? Or are you maybe going to cut the pieces of paper down once you print them?

The real advantage I see for this is with a tablet PC in the cockpit. Throw the DVD in and away you go, all the approach charts you need with no paper, a backlit display and no revisions. The only problem with that is the initial investment in a good tablet PC that you could use in the cockpit, but that could well be pair for after you never have to buy IAP's again.

Cheers


John Herreshoff
 
The only problem I see with Tablet PCs (cuz I had the same idea a few months back) is this: how the hell do you hold them/look at them when you're tryingto fly an approach, or worse yet and unfamiliar approach?

Them things are big and cant be clipped onto the yoke!
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[ QUOTE ]
This is cool and all, but are ya'll going to seriously print out charts every time you want to go flying? More than that, are you going to print it out on full sheets of paper? Or are you maybe going to cut the pieces of paper down once you print them?

[/ QUOTE ]
Q1. Not really. I'll print them once and won't need to again for 56 days or something like that. Besides the majority of approaches are the local ones. If I am departing the area I will spend the 4.25 or whatever and purchase the section.

Q2. Yes.

Anyhow, the quality far surpasses what AOPA had available. The only problem I see is there is no date listed on the charts. I know someone somewhere will question if they are up tp date.
 
I guess I never got into clipping charts onto the yoke. I usually throw my approach chart onto my kneeboard, so if I could strap a tablet PC onto my knee I'd be pretty happy. Too bad the cost of admission is $1,600 over at Sporty's.

I would imagine there has to be some way to get it onto a yoke, though. I know some corporate flight departments and maybe a fractional or two are using tablet PC's instead of carrying charts and checklists.

Cheers


John Herreshoff
 
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