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Old 8th May 2006 | 16:42
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IO540
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Joined: Jun 2003
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From: EuroGA.org
My view, despite being a self confessed fan of electronic gadgets in the cockpit, is that for VFR flight planning one needs to have the printed chart. This chart is then used for planning the terrain and airspace avoidance.

Then it's a case of which software one likes for generating the plog.

I'd steer well away from using any flight planning software for any kind of vertical navigation. The only use of it, IMHO, is in accurately calculating fuel usage through climbs and descents, but you won't be doing that kind of stuff unless you have an accurate flowmeter (linked to the GPS), know the aircraft, know about engine management, and are pushing the range of the (accurately characterised) aircraft. In other words, for typical VFR flying, you won't be doing that anyway

To get VFR charts in Flitestar you need to purchase their Raster Charts add-on, about £200 for Europe. You can then print out en route sections as required. This is an acceptable alternative to the printed charts (both legally and to me) and is cheaper than buying all the charts for Europe. But, IMHO, the CAA charts are much clearer for the UK.

Which takes us to Memory Map. Even though this is the only product which can run the CAA charts officially (Oziexplorer can run any map if you can "obtain" a scanned copy) I'd steer away from it because it is a dead end - unless you never intend to venture outside the UK.

Which is why I use Navbox Pro myself, for VFR, or for UK-style IFR (Class G or D).

IFR (airways) is something else. Flitestar IFR is the only suitable product on the UK market, although Navbox Pro will hack away at it well enough if you stick to routes that get through CFMU without too much work.
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