According to the aeroplanner website's disclaimer, the data is not for operational use. It does not relieve one of the responsibility to carry official charts with them.
I use the site as a planning aid. It seems to provide useful functionality and so far the data I've used appears to be up to date. While I'll have the generated flight plan on my kneeboard, I'll be navigating from a real paper chart on which I've performed my flight planning, possibly based on info obtained from aeroplanner, but checked against the real charts.
Publication dates are shown on the various charts (e.g. Sectional is: San Francisco Ed 66 Pub 22-Mar-2001 for one of the SmartCharts, and since I have the paper one I know that it is current, and for the Terminal Procedures, it says Effective to 12JUL2001).
As far as I am aware, the only electronic device that I am aware of that *could* replace paper charts is sold by Jeppesen at some considerable cost. It is basically an A4-sized tablet computer and contains current nav data.
Since charts don't run on batteries and are foldable, I think I'd always want to have them with me. But I am going to use the technology that is available in a reasonable manner, and at the end of the day, I think that is the right attitude to have.
David.
[This message has been edited by BayAreaLondoner (edited 26 June 2001).]
[This message has been edited by BayAreaLondoner (edited 26 June 2001).]