A Rant About Jeppesen's Trip Kit

[lluciani]

I called Jeppesen last week and found out a one time Nav data update for my Garmin 430 costs $110. They call it a "trip kit" and it is good for 28 days. I rarely fly for-real IFR. I love my 430 but the per-IFR-trip cost of keeping it up-to-date is outrageous.

Luis Luciani
RV8, N188LC

[JHines]

Had a similar experience with a King GPS, but even higher prices because they use proprietary data.

My only suggestion is to check with Jeppesen on their subscription policy.

With King, it was outrageous for 1 update, as you note, but if you got a "1 year" (13 cycle) subscription, the per-cycle price was much more reasonable (like around $450 for the whole year, IIRC).

What I'm not sure about is if the subscription has a date-based expiration. If not, you could pay for a year but only take the updates when you need them instead of every 28 days.

[flyeyes]

Originally Posted by lluciani

I called Jeppesen last week and found out a one time Nav data update for my Garmin 430 costs $110. They call it a "trip kit" and it is good for 28 days. I rarely fly for-real IFR. I love my 430 but the per-IFR-trip cost of keeping it up-to-date is outrageous.

Luis Luciani
RV8, N188LC

If you have a friend at the airport who has a subscription, see if he'll agree to rotate cards with you. (offer to do the update for him) Put the current cards in his, and the old card (one cycle out of date) in yours.

For VFR flying, the database doesn't have to be current, as long as you've verified the info (i.e. the frequencies and fixes you'll be using). You can't legally fly a GPS approach without current data though...

We keep two 430s up to date in a Cirrus, and share a hangar with two VFR helicopters that are equipped with 430s. Each month, we pull the data cards out of the helos, update them on the laptop, and swap them into the Cirrus. The old cards from the Cirrus go into the VFR helos, which are never more than a month out of date.

a painless (but not free) way to keep up to date for trips is aeroplanner.com

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by lluciani

I called Jeppesen last week and found out a one time Nav data update for my Garmin 430 costs $110. They call it a "trip kit" and it is good for 28 days. I rarely fly for-real IFR. I love my 430 but the per-IFR-trip cost of keeping it up-to-date is outrageous.

Luis Luciani
RV8, N188LC

I have to disagree with "outrageous." There is a lot of data on that little card and it takes a lot of work to compile the information. The subscription for my 430 is $325 a year for 13 updates covering the whole US. The same coverage on paper is $1024.

I agree "flyeyes," consider working a deal with someone with a subscription.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

[jdmunzell]

In the airline biz, we get paper revisions about once every two weeks for our Jeppesen manuals. I was told recently that each one of those packets for each pilot costs around $20!! So roughly 26 revisions per year @ $20/ ea. x 6500 pilots... Yikes!

cost of doing business I suppose...

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by John Clark

I have to disagree with "outrageous." There is a lot of data on that little card and it takes a lot of work to compile the information.

Yes, but who pays to collect the data? Doesn't that map data come from the US Government. Meaning aren't we paying to develop the data anyway and all they are doing it converting it to their format?

BTW, it was $30 to update my 496 at SnF. Ah, the joys of flying VFR.

[the_other_dougreeves]

Originally Posted by N941WR

Yes, but who pays to collect the data? Doesn't that map data come from the US Government. Meaning aren't we paying to develop the data anyway and all they are doing it converting it to their format?

There was a big row several years ago about NOAA trying to restrict the free distribution of much of its data. Basically, NOAA was trying not distribute any kind of product that you could buy commercially as a "value-added" item. There was a general outpouring of anger this and NOAA finally relented. The commercial WX vendors tried to keep the policy - they were making money selling data that would otherwise be available for free.

Fortunately, we have services like NACOmatic that are free or low cost. We also have the choice between free aviation weather services like ADDS (or Doug's VAF weather pages) and value-added services like Weathermeister that take free data and make it more useful. The same is true with charts - we can buy NACO charts for cheap (or download for free!) or pay for Jepps.

The key is that we have a choice. We need to vigilant to ensure we continue to have free/at-cost access to data that was created with public funds.

Slightly off topic, but I am reminded by a quote of Robert A. Heinlein:

There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute or common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back.

TODR

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by N941WR

Yes, but who pays to collect the data? Doesn't that map data come from the US Government. Meaning aren't we paying to develop the data anyway and all they are doing it converting it to their format?

Having toured the Jeppesen facility in Colorado, I don't think it is quite that simple. They have over 3000 employees.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

[Geico266]

I update the 430 once a year for VFR. Usually in the sping right before SnF.

[Geronimo4497]

Stealing a subscription (which is really what you are doing when you 'share') will only continue to drive these prices up. $110 for a database subscription that you will use for a whole entire year? It's the cost of doing business/pleasure.

How much did your last top off cost you?

The only thing cheap in aviation are pilots and airplane owners!