Cheap, Safe, Legal VFR Charts

[ronschreck]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

I'm not adverse to spending money... But I'm adverse to spending money on something that is already free. I'd pay $20 for Skycharts. I may even spend $40. But once I have the app, the data updates are all available from the FAA for free. Why do I have to pay a yearly fee to access something that is already available?

If Skycharts is re-hosting the data, I can understand a need to cover ongoing costs. But I'd prefer an app that makes use of existing data, without requiring that duplication of effort and hosting. When Skycharts rises to that challenge, i'll buy their program.

Yes, we can get the charts for free. If that's all you want, go for it. What I like is the way the app puts all the charts together for a seamless chart that covers the entire country and uses GPS data to follow my flight progress along my flight plan line on the map. And I can switch from IFR route maps to VFR sectionals with a single button push. The approach plates are right there too. Essentially I am renting the technology to do all this stuff with the free maps provided by the FAA. If I had the know-how to do it on my own I'd save the twenty dollars. I don't so it's twenty dollars well spent IMHO. You may prefer to buy a few latte's at Starbucks instead. I don't drink coffee.

[pierre smith]

....small, red circles to the restricted areas. When you tap the little circle, a notice pops up giving you the top and bottom of the airspace and dates and times they're active.

It just gets better,

[Kahuna]

Originally Posted by petehowell

Hello!

I am getting ready to get the new Airchart WAC atlas. It has been a great way to get all the sectionals I need for a year of safe, legal XC RV trips.

Does anybody have any thing better at the same or better price point? ($109)

Pete,
Ive got a beta version of a downloadcharts tool that will get you low, high, area, and now terminal charts to your local computer for use anyway you like.
Will also resize and convert the images as well. example: Terminal area charts show up as giant tiff files from the faa. Ill reduce em and save as .png for example and you can throw em all on your ipad.
Wanna give it a try?
I have a windows beta version now if you want to try it.
Linux and Mac coming soon.
Not geo referenced. Basically gets you an electronic flight bag of everything in the charts department.
Download plates tool has been working for over a year now with no complaints. Gets me all the plates to any device I want.
See ya
And thanks for the APRS stuff Pete. ALmost 30k packets sent. Pretty neat stuff.
PM me if you want to try the charts tool beta update.

[TroyBranch]

I have download Foreflight for a Month free trial on my I phone. After playing with it I have a couple of questions that I hope can be answered. If I am happy with everything I will pick up an Ipad.

It seems you need an internet connection to get what you may need. As in Approach plates, if you do not open them with an internet connection you cannot view them. Once you have opened them, they saved and then you are ok. But what if you had to divert and you did not save the plate you need?? I must be missing something.

And same with the charts, you need internet to zoom in.

I am hoping that this is just the trial version doing this but I am not sure. The only thing I can see you have to save everything near your route manually before going. Is this true.

The other item is I cannot find the terminal charts. Maybe they are embeded in the charts but what about all the little instructions they have on the back.

The last item is GPS signal. Isn't the signal a combination of Cell towers and Gps to establish a position. If this is case there must be some heavy roaming charges while in use in the plane.

Thanks

Troy

[Peterk]

SkyChartsPro is 19.99/year and solves all those issues. I dumped Foreflight in a nanosecond when Pierre told me about Skycharts.

[petehowell]

Work is crazy right now - I drop you a message soon!

Originally Posted by Kahuna

Pete,
Ive got a beta version of a downloadcharts tool that will get you low, high, area, and now terminal charts to your local computer for use anyway you like.
Will also resize and convert the images as well. example: Terminal area charts show up as giant tiff files from the faa. Ill reduce em and save as .png for example and you can throw em all on your ipad.
Wanna give it a try?
I have a windows beta version now if you want to try it.
Linux and Mac coming soon.
Not geo referenced. Basically gets you an electronic flight bag of everything in the charts department.
Download plates tool has been working for over a year now with no complaints. Gets me all the plates to any device I want.
See ya
And thanks for the APRS stuff Pete. ALmost 30k packets sent. Pretty neat stuff.
PM me if you want to try the charts tool beta update.

[n981ms]

Troy,
I am a happy IPAD/Foreflight customer.

Even the base model IPAD is capable of containing the ENTIRE US charts. ie Sectionals, high and low charts, approach plates etc. Therefore what you do is download all the areas/charts you want by state. Similar in Canada I suppose. All of the data you need is then stored on the IPAD and internet connection is not required. If you divert the data you downloaded is there.

The WIFI plus 3g IPADS have a gps that does not require cell service and I have not had a problem with mine as others have suggested. For me the IPAD is my chart solution and backup to my backup gps. If it gets too hot it will shut down. Only happened to me once in Georgia since last August.

I do not think you will be disappointed but there is a new version IPAD coming in April which may be even better.