The new sectional charts look awful and are hard to read

[ColinD]

Yeah, the Icon branded pair I wear are advertised as such but they don't work very well. The stylus is a good idea; I'm picturing holding two like chopsticks for pinch-to-zoom.

 

[Half Fast]

Interesting question. I just sent FF and SkyVector emails and asked. Let's see if I get a reply.

UPDATE: Just heard back from FF. The new Sectionals will be release as a normal cycle update, they will not push out an early DB update.

Standard FF customer support.

 

[Dana]

There are a lot of gloves with touchscreen compatible fingertips these days. I have a pair for ski touring.

I have some of those, but they don't work very well, way too imprecise.

 

[luvflyin]

Interesting question. I just sent FF and SkyVector emails and asked. Let's see if I get a reply.

UPDATE: Just heard back from FF. The new Sectionals will be release as a normal cycle update, they will not push out an early DB update.

I can see why FF might want to wait. The FAA isn’t updating the Terminal Area Charts until the 27 NOV cycle.

 

[Matthew]

There are a lot of gloves with touchscreen compatible fingertips these days. I have a pair for ski touring.

My wife is a knitter. I have a custom fit pair of of gloves with no fingertips. They are great for winter flying, touchscreens and pens and pencils work just fine. I gave my CFII a pair of fingerless gloves that my wife made for her. Think mittens with an open end and an open thumb tip. She really liked using them on our winter lessons. Easy to grip writing utensils and touchscreens always work. And she could tuck her fingers inside.

There are options that work well in cold cockpits. For normal outside use, these aren’t too practical though.

 

[Domenick]

Other forums have reported the AeroNav WAS immediately fixing sectionals but not TACs. I re-downloaded the sectional 56-Day set and the charts are restored to their original glory.

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/safety_alerts/media/VIS_25-06_CN_Digital_VFR_Sectional_Charts_eff_Oct_2025.pdf

New FAA digital charts look terrible

This is a link to a thread on Pilots of America. I think it's viewable without an account. FAA changed the colors: https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/the-new-sectional-charts-look-awful-and-are-hard-to-read.152499/

thepilotsplace.com

 

[eman1200]

FYI garmin pilot web vs skyvector:

 

[Dave Theisen]