Jeppesen vs Naco charts

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skynewbie

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For instrument written exam the FAA uses the NACO charts but Jeppesen charts look much nicer and easier to use for flying. Which do you prefer and why? If Jeppesen charts were free to download I'd probably use them.
 
I use the gov plates, used them when I was first starting out because they are free and easy to download, got used to them and now years later, flying primarily IFR for work I still use the gov plates.

It's all the same really, just a matter of learning where to look.
 
I use the AeroNav (formerly "NACO") charts on ForeFlight because it costs only $75/year for the entire US. For the same coverage from Jepp, it would be more than 10 times that much even for the downloaded version. Beyond that, the changes the FAA has made to the Aeronav charts over the last decade or so have pretty much wiped out the significant differences between them. Having flown professionally with both, I'm certainly fluent in both languages, but the price difference makes the decision a no-brainer for me.
 
Ron Levy said:
I use the AeroNav (formerly "NACO") charts on ForeFlight because it costs only $75/year for the entire US. For the same coverage from Jepp, it would be more than 10 times that much even for the downloaded version. Beyond that, the changes the FAA has made to the Aeronav charts over the last decade or so have pretty much wiped out the significant differences between them. Having flown professionally with both, I'm certainly fluent in both languages, but the price difference makes the decision a no-brainer for me.
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:yeahthat: I subscribed to Jepps from the late 70s until the govt came out with their new format. While Jepps were still slightly better, the difference wasn't worth the cost and hassle of updating. I've used the govt charts ever since.

Either one will give you everything necessary to complete an IFR flight!
 
skynewbie said:
For instrument written exam the FAA uses the NACO charts but Jeppesen charts look much nicer and easier to use for flying. Which do you prefer and why? If Jeppesen charts were free to download I'd probably use them.
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Keep in mind that if you are looking at the naco charts in the test supplement for the written test, these do look terrible. They've gotten much better over time and have copied some of the Jeppesen's presentation (e.g. briefing strips).

For me, the two are close enough together that I prefer the free ones!

Edit: In other words, what Ron posted above!
 
Th nest supplement is adding in more recent ones. But like Ron said, the NACO charts on FF are just fine.
 
The Jepp are nicer with the printing, ie bolded in some places and the presentation is a little bit better; but as Ron says you get the entire country at a tenth of what it would cost for Jepp. Also the chart overlay in FF is a nice feature. The minimal differences doesn't make it overly worth it.
 
Jeppesen charges exorbitant amounts of money to massage the data furnished to it by US taxpayers into essential GPS databases. I can have a full year subscription for the entire US on a service like Foreflight for less than the cost of a single database download from Jepp for my Garmin 430W. Jepp's charts may or may not be prettier, but buying anything from such a monopolistic price gouger is like feeding the bears.
Jon
 
Get both free through work. I'd have to print out the Jepps. The government ones are literally handed to me, so that's what I use. Not sure how much either cost nowadays.

The Jepps give you the minimums for inoperative lighting right there on the chart and have the circling airspeed for the different category. Jepp throws in some extras sometimes such as low vis. taxi routes, exploded views of parking gates, and sometimes aerial photos of final approach. None of which I think justify paying the extra coin.
 
4CornerFlyer said:
Jeppesen charges exorbitant amounts of money to massage the data furnished to it by US taxpayers into essential GPS databases. I can have a full year subscription for the entire US on a service like Foreflight for less than the cost of a single database download from Jepp for my Garmin 430W. Jepp's charts may or may not be prettier, but buying anything from such a monopolistic price gouger is like feeding the bears.
Jon
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No kidding...

Heck most automotive GPS have free updates, a non aviation consumer would through a fit if they had to pay to update their very expensive device.

I pay 500 bucks for the US & Canada (and Latin America which I don't need) for my 530/430, at least I can get away with one over priced subscription for both units, much to Jepps displeasure.
 
Thanks folks I'll stick to the free FAA instrument charts and approach plates since I have FF and pay one price for FF to get the charts.
 
4CornerFlyer said:
Jeppesen charges exorbitant amounts of money to massage the data furnished to it by US taxpayers into essential GPS databases. I can have a full year subscription for the entire US on a service like Foreflight for less than the cost of a single database download from Jepp for my Garmin 430W. Jepp's charts may or may not be prettier, but buying anything from such a monopolistic price gouger is like feeding the bears.
Jon
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Unlike the FAA, Jeppesen makes charts for the entire world. Also, a lot of data, even in the U.S., costs a lot of money to add to the chart other than the instrument procedure itself. The U.S. taxpayers is still footing the bill for the FAA charts. In Canada, that "free lunch" for pilots is gone. Don't be surprised if FAA charts become much more expensive one of these days.
 
Ron Levy said:
I use the AeroNav (formerly "NACO") charts on ForeFlight because it costs only $75/year for the entire US.
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A screaming deal as far as aviation goes. :yes: I used to pay far more for just eastern US charts and data.
 
+1 plus add the geo referenced plate overlays on FF is a winning combo except that it requires the more expensive pro FF subscription than the el cheapo version I have.
 
skynewbie said:
+1 plus add the geo referenced plate overlays on FF is a winning combo except that it requires the more expensive pro FF subscription than the el cheapo version I have.
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And you were getting ready to pay how much for the Jepp? Updating to FF Pro is still the bargain :yes:
 
aterpster said:
Unlike the FAA, Jeppesen makes charts for the entire world. Also, a lot of data, even in the U.S., costs a lot of money to add to the chart other than the instrument procedure itself. The U.S. taxpayers is still footing the bill for the FAA charts. In Canada, that "free lunch" for pilots is gone. Don't be surprised if FAA charts become much more expensive one of these days.
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You can still get Canadian plates for free from fltplan.

image.jpg
 
aterpster said:
Unlike the FAA, Jeppesen makes charts for the entire world. Also, a lot of data, even in the U.S., costs a lot of money to add to the chart other than the instrument procedure itself. The U.S. taxpayers is still footing the bill for the FAA charts. In Canada, that "free lunch" for pilots is gone. Don't be surprised if FAA charts become much more expensive one of these days.
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For pilots that prefer gov't charts Nav Canada prints the "CAP" (Canada Air Pilot) which is very similar. OTOH I agree, the CAP is quite a bit more expensive than the US TERM PROC. ....at least for now.
 
Good to know about the Canada charts. For now I'm upgrading my basic FF to pro subscription to get the geo plates and other goodies.
 
Like a lot of people, I had a preference for Jepp charts for a while and, for the very few times I needed to be IFR when I lived in Colorado, bought Trip Packs as needed (it helped that Jepp and its small factory store was 5 minutes from my house).

Two things changed that.

One was the briefing strip that made briefing the approach easier for both products.
The other was the tablet EFB and the availability of electronic charts that were always current at about the same cost as the 2-3 times a year I would get Jepp paper packs and far less that the equivalent would be with a Jepp electronic subscription.

There are differences but they are not substantial enough to make a major difference to me. That fact that I have to look somewhere else to see alternate or takeoff minimums while sitting at home or in an FBO isn't that big a deal.
 
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With so many pilots (even the pros) going to various EFB's that have NACO, any speculation on why Jepp is keeping their prices so high?
 
AggieMike88 said:
With so many pilots (even the pros) going to various EFB's that have NACO, any speculation on why Jepp is keeping their prices so high?
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The pros who fly to other countries don't use FAA charts.

Most airlines order enough copies that they qualify for a tailored subscription that has only the charts they use on their route system.
 
aterpster said:
The pros who fly to other countries don't use FAA charts.

Most airlines order enough copies that they qualify for a tailored subscription that has only the charts they use on their route system.
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That doesn't sound good if there is an emergency diversion to an "unexpected" field.
 
dans2992 said:
That doesn't sound good if there is an emergency diversion to an "unexpected" field.
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There are sufficient alternate-only airports to cover that unusual contingency. In the case of ETOPs remote routes they not only have to carry the charts for an airport they will likely never use, in the case of UHPP in Siberia, they have a special arrangement to get the Russians to turn on the lights and the ILS, which are normally not on. (Former big Soviet military base.) It costs plenty, as you can imagine.
 
aterpster said:
There are sufficient alternate-only airports to cover that unusual contingency. In the case of ETOPs remote routes they not only have to carry the charts for an airport they will likely never use, in the case of UHPP in Siberia, they have a special arrangement to get the Russians to turn on the lights and the ILS, which are normally not on. (Former big Soviet military base.) It costs plenty, as you can imagine.
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Interesting. I suppose the only reason that airport is still maintained is for ETOPs purposes?
 
dans2992 said:
Interesting. I suppose the only reason that airport is still maintained is for ETOPs purposes?
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No. They get charter flights in the summer for gung-ho fishermen. The flights usually come from PANC.
 
aterpster said:
There are sufficient alternate-only airports to cover that unusual contingency. In the case of ETOPs remote routes they not only have to carry the charts for an airport they will likely never use, in the case of UHPP in Siberia, they have a special arrangement to get the Russians to turn on the lights and the ILS, which are normally not on. (Former big Soviet military base.) It costs plenty, as you can imagine.
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I have been to UHPP and it was a prearranged tech stop, not a diversion. We had Jepp charts for the approach.
 
AggieMike88 said:
With so many pilots (even the pros) going to various EFB's that have NACO, any speculation on why Jepp is keeping their prices so high?
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Target market. Could be as simple as light GA not being a significant enough market to be considered in pricing decisions.
 
peerlesscowboy said:
For pilots that prefer gov't charts Nav Canada prints the "CAP" (Canada Air Pilot) which is very similar. OTOH I agree, the CAP is quite a bit more expensive than the US TERM PROC. ....at least for now.
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No, it's free, e.g. via fltplan.com.
 
I like using fltplan, FF and airnav.com for the Naco charts. Best overall low cost option. I'm used to reading the government charts even though jeppesen charts are a bit nicer. I do like having the mini airport diagram available on the naco chart which is on a separate piece of paper in the jeppesen chart.
 
4CornerFlyer said:
Jeppesen charges exorbitant amounts of money to massage the data furnished to it by US taxpayers into essential GPS databases. I can have a full year subscription for the entire US on a service like Foreflight for less than the cost of a single database download from Jepp for my Garmin 430W. Jepp's charts may or may not be prettier, but buying anything from such a monopolistic price gouger is like feeding the bears.
Jon
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It's not about being prettier, but you hit the nail on the head why Jepps are the go-to chart for most airlines or global corporate flight departments. They massage data not just furnished to them by US taxpayers, but by worldwide taxpayers. At my airline, my typical routes include at least a dozen different countries. If it weren't for Jepps, I'd have to learn the nuances of each country's aviation charts. Jepp does that for me, so I just have to know how to read one type of chart whether I'm flying into China, Japan, Singapore or France.

They also produce company specific charts which include our own special takeoff and approach mins right on the IAP chart. They'll also have detailed ramp diagrams with company specific frequencies and procedures.

I know they're expensive, and when I'm flying my Cherokee Six, I use the Gov't charts. I also use the Gov't charts when I fly with the Guard, because that's what they give me and what they want me to use.

And, Jeppesen doesn't have a total monopoly on producing world-wide IAPs. Before we went (back) to Jepps, we used Lido Route Manuals. It's a subsidiary of Lufthansa, and their product, in my opinion, is 100 times better than Jepps.
 
Sluggo63 said:
And, Jeppesen doesn't have a total monopoly on producing world-wide IAPs. Before we went (back) to Jepps, we used Lido Route Manuals. It's a subsidiary of Lufthansa, and their product, in my opinion, is 100 times better than Jepps.
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I have used Lido charts, and have found them inferior to just about everything out there. Definitely not a user friendly system.
 
RotorAndWing said:
I have used Lido charts, and have found them inferior to just about everything out there. Definitely not a user friendly system.
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One U.S. carrier went from Jepp to Lido. After a couple of years they went back to Jepps.

Folks in the corporate world that fly the long-haul airplanes stick with Jeppesen, because they chart every IFP in the world. You can't say that for Lido.
 
aterpster said:
One U.S. carrier went from Jepp to Lido. After a couple of years they went back to Jepps.

Folks in the corporate world that fly the long-haul airplanes stick with Jeppesen, because they chart every IFP in the world. You can't say that for Lido.
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Our Thales FMS's use a Lido database. The running joke is "What does Thales mean in French? Answer: Piece of ****. ;)

Fortunately most of our planes have Honeywell FMS with the more friendly database.
 
RotorAndWing said:
Our Thales FMS's use a Lido database. The running joke is "What does Thales mean in French? Answer: Piece of ****. ;)

Fortunately most of our planes have Honeywell FMS with the more friendly database.
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In the Collins system (Pro Line 21 I believe) the customer can elect to go either with the Jeppesen or Lido database. I can't get my head around that one.
 
aterpster said:
The pros who fly to other countries don't use FAA charts.
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Duh....In most places in the world Jepp is the only game in town. The FAA doesn't have the mandate to provide charts outside the US.

I actually fly with both. Foreflight gets me the government charts. I have chartview in my MX20 and in addition to having the plates show up georef'd there, Jepp throws in an iPad app (as well as a PC program) to view them for free with that subscription.

That being said, I rarely use the iPad Jepp app (jepp software by and large sucks badly I've found) unless someone asks a question about a plate and I want to see how Jepp depicted it.
 
flyingron said:
Duh....In most places in the world Jepp is the only game in town. The FAA doesn't have the mandate to provide charts outside the US.
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I could have stated it better. How about this: The pros who fly outside the U.S. don't use FAA charts when flying in the U.S.
 
aterpster said:
I could have stated it better. How about this: The pros who fly outside the U.S. don't use FAA charts when flying in the U.S.
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Oh, I get it now. It seemed a rather silly statement the way I interpreted it.
I flew with Jepps pretty much all the time until foreflight came out. Since I had Jepps in the panel, I used them in my (PC BASED) EFB as well.
 
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