National Ocean Service (NOS) binder. [Courtesy: Meg Godlewski]
Key Takeaways:
Before electronic flight bags, pilots relied on paper instrument approach plates, primarily choosing between government-issued National Ocean Service (NOS) charts and commercial Jeppesen charts.
The article details several differences between Jeppesen and NOS plates, including layout, information presentation, and target users, with Jeppesen generally considered the commercial aviation standard and NOS often used by the U.S. military.
Despite the widespread adoption of electronic charts, proficiency in understanding both Jeppesen and NOS formats remains a valuable skill for pilots, especially during training, to enhance employability.
Before electronic flight bags became as obsequious as Starbucks, pilots relied upon paper charts for information, especially in the IFR environment.
There were two choices for instrument approach plates: the government-printed National Ocean Service (NOS), or Jeppesen. Every fledgling instrument candidate had to choose which they would use.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
