Still Jeppesen...for now!

jdwatson

jdwatson

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
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Cary, NC
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JDW
Greetings All !
Lots of talk lately about Jepp vs. NACO/NOS. I'm still hooked on Jeppesen. I've tried Sporty's DVD & AeroPlanner's PDFs, NACO in bound and loose-leaf format. None of them come close to the usability and quality of Jeppesen.

I'm considering moving to JeppView rather than getting stacks of paper each month. The $800+ startup cost is steep. I love Jepp's quality of print, the bright white paper, the format and all that alternate/departure/arrival information by airport.

I was nearly sold on the sporty's DVD, but I couldn't get them to support printing selected charts in a two-up format. That way I could get the two IAPs I wanted on the same "landscape" mode.

Right now, most of my flying is in NC. I'm in one of those "border" states where I need 4 sectionals to cover my flying. I've considered getting the paper "east coast" from Jeppesen, but for less than $200 more I get the whole USA and only those IAPs on paper that I need.

I know this topic is nearly high-wing vs. low-wing... let's be daring !
 
I used to use Jeppview, but then switched to Echo Chart primarily because of cost. http://www.echoflight.com/electronic_charting.html
They have a very nice viewer which works well on the Toshiba tablet pc and the option to print 2 per page. They are NOS charts and the only problem I've had is that they can be a little late with their updates.
I tried the Sporty's system but found it cumbersome and restrictive.
For the enroute charts I use Airchart Systems which is very convenient.
Stephen.
 
They are a tad more expensive than NOS. I always used to get depressed when I got the brown envelope, too.

But, now I'm 50 and I like the uncluttered clear presentation. Improper IFR kills- it's 90% fatal and I think it's worth Jeppview. A CD comes every 14 days. Download it into your cmputer, print all ILSs withing 50 nm of the course path and you alternate, and you're off.
 
For me, the major advantage of Jeppesen is clarity and organization of the IFR materials. They've really thought about how a pilot would use this stuff. For instance, the way they offset-fan fold their enroute charts so that the major city of that "panel" is visible. I can follow along or put the chart away without fear of not being able to quickly pick up where I left off. Jeppesen updates are second to none. As the good doctor said, improper IFR is deadly... I want my tools to help me avoid improper IFR, not contribute to it.
 
Stephen,
How do you keep your charts current ? I see that Echo Chart updates their CDs every 56 days but doesn't that put you 28 days out of date for each cycle ? I've learned to appreciate the Jeppesen updates after trying to keep everything up to date using NOS.
 
Use Jeppview. This is more than a tad more pricey. But updates take about 75 seconds. Download the CD onto the hard drive....it's done.
 
Yeah, I think I'm definitely headed for JeppView.
 
Those interested in a new alternative for IFR procedure charts (everything except en route charts) should check out SmartPlates from Seattle Avionics. The charts are NOS, but because you print them yourself, they're of much better quality than the bound volumes published by the FAA NACO:

http://www.seattleavionics.com/default.asp

A brochure about SmartPlates is available in PDF form at:

http://www.seattleavionics.com/images/SmartPlateBrochure.pdf?location=voyager

I've used this software for some time, and I'm a convert, especially because of the price difference.

For those who'd like more information about electronic charting options, see my column in the General Aviation news from last October: http://www.generalaviationnews.com/editorial/articledetail.lasso?-token.key=10210&-token.src=column&-nothing


-Bruce
www.BruceAir.com
 
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