IFR Chart Choices

A long time has passed since Elroy Jeppesen first started drawing basic descriptions of ways to get into airports when the weather was down. Thankfully, aeronautical charting has evolved with technologies and operational needs. These days, the latest panel-mount avionics and handhelds coax us into the "paperless cockpit" realm, but a variety of factors havent eliminated dead-tree charts.The good news is we have a choice, even if its among only two basic publishers. Another piece of good news is we can put down one publishers chart and pick up the others without too much confusion. While there are qualitative differences between the two publishers, a major distinction is how they distribute updates. And despite a third-party company simplifying the process, theres still a price to pay when it comes to managing revisions.

Key Takeaways:

• Aeronautical charting is primarily provided by two publishers, FAA/AeroNav and Jeppesen, who differ in coverage (U.S. vs. worldwide), level of detail, and paper quality.
• A key distinction between the publishers is their revision process: the FAA provides complete new chart sets every 56 days, while Jeppesen offers more frequent (14-day) incremental updates, leading to different chart management complexities.
• Air Chart Systems offers a third-party option by compiling public domain FAA charts into a convenient spiral-bound atlas, recommended for en route navigation due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness.
• For terminal procedures (approach plates), the article advises subscribing directly to the FAA's publications, replacing them every 56 days, as Air Chart Systems' update process for these is deemed less impressive.

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