As I write this editorial, the pilot community is buzzing with the news that Aeronav (a.k.a., the government chart folks) is going to start charging for the digital chart downloads after April 5, 2012. Well cover the fallout of this for IFR pilots in the next issue, as much of that fallout hinges on a meeting that wont happen until after we go to press.
Aeronav's new policy to charge for digital chart downloads after April 5, 2012, is expected to increase costs for pilots, potentially leading to the use of outdated charts and harming general aviation.
The author criticizes how both government entities (Aeronav's funding structure) and private industry (Lockheed Martin's management of Flight Service) undermine essential aviation services due to financial and operational constraints.
These situations are presented as making aviation more restrictive and less accessible, ultimately detrimental to attracting new pilots to the activity.
As I write this editorial, the pilot community is buzzing with the news that Aeronav (a.k.a., the government chart folks) is going to start charging for the digital chart downloads after April 5, 2012. We’ll cover the fallout of this for IFR pilots in the next issue, as much of that fallout hinges on a meeting that won’t happen until after we go to press.
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