At last - a 1 millionth VFR chart

[Mark 1]

Jeppesen are promising one later this month:

VFR flights within France, Belgium and Switzerland.
This 1:1.000.000 Chart has been specifically designed for flight planning purposes. The coverage includes France, Switzerland, Belgium (list of restricted and prohibited areas included for these countries). The following border areas are also depicted on the chart: south of England, west of Germany, Spanish side of the Pyrenees and the region west of Milan. The information on this chart is based on our existing VFR+GPS chart series (1:500.000).

Am I alone in thinking that, on a long trip with radio nav, a GPS and good VMC, its much nicer to have fewer charts and less re-folding. I used to use the old french IGN millionth scale. It'll be interesting to see how good this is and if it catches on

[robin]

Sorry - can't agree.

GPS is great, but I can't rely on it in this part of the world. Navaids can also drop out - it happens all too often when staying below cloud

I carry a 1/4 mill chart which I use just as much as a 1/2 mill for accurate nav when required- but then I'm sad like that.

As a techno-geek, I love technology, but in the air, I know what can happen when it drops out.

Please - don't lose the basic skills of navigation, cos, as sure as eggs is eggs, when technology goes wrong, it goes wrong at the worst possible time

[Flyin'Dutch']

R,

Wot GPS are you using and in what sort of aeroplane (high wing/low wing)

FD

[IO540]

robin

Why does GPS not work in Devon?

Does your GPS have an external aerial, rooftop or attached near the top of the front window on its inside? In a metal cockpit, if the foregoing isn't the case, it will be a miracle if it works reliably.

[The Nr Fairy]

Read robin's post, gents.

Having a chart gives a fallback position if GPS fails due jamming, batteries, electrical failure and the like. It can also be used to give confirmation of a GPS position, and (direct from the column in Flyer) the chart will be more likely to have current airspace boundaries than the GPS, if the database hasn't been religiously updated.

[IO540]

TNF

Of course one would carry a chart when flying. What puzzled me was that a GPS does not work in Devon.

[The Nr Fairy]

D'ya think I should have read the post properly !! I blame fatigue :D

[silverknapper]

Hi Mark

I used a lot of million charts in South Africa for very long trips eg JNB-CPT and found them invaluable for the reasons you say. Will be interesting to see the new ones. Obviously SA charts were a lot less congested but I never had any problems using them in conjunction with nav aids.

SK

[bluskis]

Do nav aids drop out or are you attempting to use them outside their promulgated envelope?

I think the introduction of million scale maps provides a useful alternative for the long distance traveller,
for whom they are no doubt intended. Haven't the French SIA VFR charts been 1 million scale for ions?

[IO540]

The SIA charts are 1M scale. They are fine except they don't show the min/max levels of restricted areas. So I used the 500k IGN charts for France but they don't go above FL055; the Jepp 500k VFR charts don't have that problem.

What is really needed, for en-route cockpit use, is the ability to download and print out A4 or A3 sections of the official charts. Jepp appear to offer something like this on their website although I haven't explored it - like all their stuff (£200 one-time trip kits...) it is likely to be very expensive. One would still carry the printed charts in case of major diversions but one wouldn't need an autopilot to read them :O

[bluskis]

The heights and active times and contact frequencies for the restricted and danger areas on SIA charts are listed in the two books included in the pack.

I personally find the pack invaluable, and very well laid out.

[IO540]

Indeed they are in the booklet but IMV this makes the chart less suitable to use in the cockpit to check one's altitude against the current piece of French restricted military airspace one is flying under or over :O

I know one would normally do all planning on the ground but it's a good idea to still be checking some things while airborne.