flyboy0681 Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 Not that I used it all that often, but when I wanted to get a rough idea when creating a routine, it was a good tool to have (but not always intuitive). People were wondering what Boeing's takeover of Jepp might bring us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetti Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 I think it is interesting if you need nautical charts you just go and download them. When I get some time I am going to see what is so special about aviation charts and what needs to be done to "reformat" them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steingar Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 AOPA should change their motto to "giving you less for more". Not that I ever used their flight planner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldguy Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Yetti said: I think it is interesting if you need nautical charts you just go and download them. When I get some time I am going to see what is so special about aviation charts and what needs to be done to "reformat" them I pulled down the chart for my area (ELUS18) and printed it out on a plotter when I was doing my IR. Just downloaded the PDF and sent it to the plotter. Comes out in a 60 x 20 sheet. Nothing really fancy from what I can see. Here is where you can link to whichever chart type you want to see: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob865 Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 6 minutes ago, Oldguy said: I pulled down the chart for my area (ELUS18) and printed it out on a plotter when I was doing my IR. Just downloaded the PDF and sent it to the plotter. Comes out in a 60 x 20 sheet. Nothing really fancy from what I can see. Here is where you can link to whichever chart type you want to see: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/ I was doing some poking around the other day about GPS databases. I am getting my first IFR gps installed soon and was wondering about the databases and how they work. The FAA is the keeper of the info and Jeppesen just repacks it as I understand it. I can download charts for free, why can't I download GPS databases for free. I'm still new and it was only about 20 minutes of poking around, but I think if you're willing to do the legwork, you can keep your GPS up to date for free too. Please someone prove me right! If I'm wrong, don't worry. A dream is always more enjoyable until you wake up and find out it's not real. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PT20J Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 4 minutes ago, bob865 said: I was doing some poking around the other day about GPS databases. I am getting my first IFR gps installed soon and was wondering about the databases and how they work. The FAA is the keeper of the info and Jeppesen just repacks it as I understand it. I can download charts for free, why can't I download GPS databases for free. I'm still new and it was only about 20 minutes of poking around, but I think if you're willing to do the legwork, you can keep your GPS up to date for free too. Please someone prove me right! If I'm wrong, don't worry. A dream is always more enjoyable until you wake up and find out it's not real. Jeppesen has always maintained their own proprietary chart databases and, for the US, updates them with information published in the National Flight Data Digest. Garmin starts with FAA data, but they do extra processing. For instance, they have to make sure that only approaches that can legally be flown within a particular navigator's capabilities are included in that navigator's database. They probably do a bunch of other stuff too, and I'm reasonably sure that the file format used by their navigators is proprietary no matter where the data might originate. Skip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 Bummer. I use the AOPA flight planner all the time for VFR trips because it's the only resource I know of that makes it really easy to find waypoints along the way to plan the GPS route. It also has the terrain profile tool that is nice, etc...and all of it was really easy to use. And add me to the list of folks that doesn't think that Garmin/Jeppesen add much value to the maps/databases. I download everything, including approach plates, for free in Avare and FltPln Go, and still have to pay several hundred a year to Jepp to keep my IFD current. The IFD works fine on the Jepp loads for approaches, etc., so I don't think there's much proprietary stuff that are interfering with requirements for each. I don't know what value Jepp is adding, but it's nothing I can see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker_Woodruff Posted March 2, 2020 Report Share Posted March 2, 2020 SAFE gets us member CFIs a strong discount on ForeFlight. AOPA should partner with 2-3 viable providers of flight planning software rather than compete within the industry it tries to uphold. Foreflight works quite well from a PC... Have a PC-only edition membership for those who don't carry an iPad. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy0681 Posted March 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2020 Related to AOPA, James Lipton, who ran The Actors Studio and hosted a cable program by the same name, died yesterday. On each of his shows he wore a lapel pin which happened to be the one he got from AOPA when he joined in 1980. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 The issue here I think is that Jeppesen is discontinuing FliteStar, and the AOPA app is just a rebranded FliteStar with fewer features. I was a FliteStar subscriber a million years ago, and I was super excited when AOPA started offering free access to members. I immediately switched to the AOPA product and was completely happy with it. Long since surpassed in functionality by other flight planning apps, but at the time it was awesome. FliteStar Sunset 01_21 - External FAQ.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 4 minutes ago, philip_g said: I'm more worried about fltplan.com after Garmin or whoever bought them Yeah, Garmin likely bought fltplan for the relationships with corporate flight departments. You've got to think that they want fltplan.com to go away as soon as possible. I don't think they've even added any Garmin branding to the site or the app. ETA: Okay, it does say "a Garmin company" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob865 Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 On 3/2/2020 at 6:18 PM, PT20J said: Jeppesen has always maintained their own proprietary chart databases and, for the US, updates them with information published in the National Flight Data Digest. Garmin starts with FAA data, but they do extra processing. For instance, they have to make sure that only approaches that can legally be flown within a particular navigator's capabilities are included in that navigator's database. They probably do a bunch of other stuff too, and I'm reasonably sure that the file format used by their navigators is proprietary no matter where the data might originate. Skip I found the answer....it mirrors what you said: Can I use the CIFP [Coded Instrument Flight Procedures] to update my GPS or FMS? The CIFP (Coded Instrument Flight Procedures) uses the ARINC 424 standard. GPS and FMS do not currently support the use of "raw" ARINC 424 data. Individual avionics manufacturers process the data into their proprietary format for use in GPS or FMS units. The FAA does not process aeronautical information for use in any GPS or FMS. https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/faq/#q1k 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PT20J Posted March 20, 2020 Report Share Posted March 20, 2020 3 hours ago, bob865 said: I found the answer....it mirrors what you said: Can I use the CIFP [Coded Instrument Flight Procedures] to update my GPS or FMS? The CIFP (Coded Instrument Flight Procedures) uses the ARINC 424 standard. GPS and FMS do not currently support the use of "raw" ARINC 424 data. Individual avionics manufacturers process the data into their proprietary format for use in GPS or FMS units. The FAA does not process aeronautical information for use in any GPS or FMS. https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/faq/#q1k Thanks for finding an official reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skykrawler Posted March 21, 2020 Report Share Posted March 21, 2020 The ARINC 424 format (there are series of versions) is an ASCII format file. The installed databases are typically in a binary format - which requires less space and is already in a form ready for computation. The FAA databases are not without error. The databases the airliners use are customized and don't include all airports - for example short runways are excluded. The expense of database subscriptions for Honeywell and GE FMCs used in airliners would stun you. Less familiar with Collins FMC (used with Pro-Line and Fusion). The FAA din't produce the ARINC 424 format until maybe 15 years ago - they originally used a hierarchical database format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.