Another discussion thread to keep you occupied through the wet weather this weekend...
Last night, I was studying the VFR Flight Planning part of the ATPL course. Much of the course is based on a VFR chart of southern Germany.
Of course, charts from different countries are all subtly different. The German chart had a very nice feature - at the bottom was a small map of the area covered by the chart, divided into flight information regions, showing the frequency to be used for flight information in each region. What a great idea - and it hardly takes up any space! How many other people have been confused about which of London Information's frequencies we're supposed to use in which part of the country? A small diagram at the side of the chart would be a great help!
So, on that basis, I wonder what would make the ideal chart? We've got some well-travelled fliers on this forum, as well as flyers based in various parts of the world, so we've probably seen a fair number of different styles of chart. What elements of each chart would you take to make the perfect chart?
I'd like to:
- Start with a UK 1/2-million chart
- Definitely leave it laminated - my un-laminated US charts lasted less than a month!
- Show runway layouts of airfields on the chart. UK 1/4 million charts currently do this, but not 1/2 million charts - it's a great aid to planning your arrival, and also helps when using airfields as visual landmarks
- Add a diagram of flight information frequencies, as per the German chart
Any other improvements anyone would like to see?
FFF
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