CFI's: Do you use NOS or JEPP plates?

[milehigh6080]

Screw Jepps

Until I have someone else that is paying for and revising my Jepps for me, I'm sticking to NACO. It's the same information, the new format is very similar to Jepp, there are no updates, and they cost like a thousand dollars less per year or something. I don't know why you'd fly with them just becuase that's what the airlines use- they're not THAT different that it would be impossible to learn one format after using the other. Besides, why not just get a couple outdated plates to study from while using NACO for your regular flying. That way you get steady practice with both without breaking the bank and driving yourself up the wall with updates.

-Milehigh

 

[Flyin Tony]

I like the jepps because of the blowups for LAX PSP SAN SFO you get the idea.... Other then that my FBO doesn't have much, and most of the time when I go flying I dont know where im going next. So the jepps help in that area. But most of the time I find myself using the NOS low enroute, and the jepp plates.

 

[Goose Egg]

I'm sticking with Jepps, at least for my primary flying area. And the reason for that is not that the airlines use Jepp (although the airlines and I may be using them for the same reason.)

The essence of a good approach plate is that information can be deciphered from it at a glance, because the time spent looking at a plate is time that one is not spending looking at the guages in IMC and looking for traffic and VMC. And the less time spent looking at the guages means that the likelyhood of an unusual attitude is increased.

In my opinion, Jepps are much easier to read by just glancing at them. For example, they are printed on white paper, which provides for higher contrast between print and page. The procedure track is printed in bold, which is much easier to see than the NACO's normally wieghted lines. And finally, the missed approach icons that Jepp uses makes getting the missed approach procedure down much easier.

Now, I suppose none of this applies if you use an autopilot, but I don't have that luxury at the moment.

And like I said earlier, NACOs will do in a pinch, but Jepps increase the safety margin.

-Goose

 

[TEXAN AVIATOR]

Jepps, It's what the airlines use and question you on while at the interview, so it only makes sense. Plus they are simply much better.

 

[Goose Egg]

Jepps increase the "saftey margin???"

Yeah. For me at least.

-Goose

 

[ParrotheadPilot]

I learned on Jepps. But simply because of cost, I now use NACO charts. They all give the same information. I think it's just a matter of personal preference.

 

[milehigh6080]

I like the jepps because of the blowups for LAX PSP SAN SFO you get the idea....

NACO has that too, they're called Area Charts A-1 and A-2. A-1/2 provides coverage for San Fran, LA, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Kansas City, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Atlanta, Jacksonville and Miami.

L-28 is printed on a similar scale and covers the Washington to Boston corridor.

NACOs are printed on better paper than that cheap junk that Jepp tries to sell you too.

http://www.naco.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=naco/catalog/charts/ifr/enrt_low

-Milehigh.

 

[RideTheWind]

Not to mention NOS charts are free http://www.naco.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=naco/online/d_tpp

Print what you need and you're golden.

 

[hydroflyer]

I used Jepp's while instructing, mainly because that is what all the other instructors at my school were using, keeps things consistent with the students. However, when teaching instrument ground school, I would use the NOS plates since that is what the students will see on their instrument written test. After that, I didn't care what they would use. Now I use NOS provided to me by the company.

 

[bobbysamd]

Instrument charts and plates

I used both government and Jepp, but preferred Jepp plates. For enroute, though, I liked Government better because I found them easier to read.

Most airlines use Jepps, but, several years ago, Mesa supplied its pilots with Government, probably because it was cheaper. I don't know if that has changed in the Frank O. (intentional) administration.

 

[flyifrvfr]

I use Nos because If I need toilet paper I use the leftover jepps.

 

[Goose Egg]

You guys don't know anything about paper. NACOs are printed on newsprint, which is fairly inexpensive. Jepps are printed on vellum, which is used for technical drawings. And now that I think of it, vellum is fairly expensive, so that may explain some of the cost disparity between the two formats.

-Goose

 

[Jester119]

Jepp is the way to go

I use Jepp one good reason, you dont have to hunt around in the plates for what your looking for such as T/O mins , and alternates. Also the airport diagrams are really good. Plus they give you LASO distance unlike the NOS plates. I think the low enroute charts are small and dont have to unfold it taking up the cockpit.

 

[minitour]

I use Jepp one good reason, you dont have to hunt around in the plates for what your looking for such as T/O mins , and alternates. Also the airport diagrams are really good. Plus they give you LASO distance unlike the NOS plates. I think the low enroute charts are small and dont have to unfold it taking up the cockpit.

I too prefer being able to flip to an airport and see the DPs, STARS, IAPs, diagram, minimums, etc. all right there.

Also, love the enroute charts. They're set up to be folded over all sorts of directions with those little tabs at the top it's easy to find where you're going next. I wish they made a "sectional" chart like that. These sectionals/TACs/NOS Low charts are HUGE. In a little plane (152/172) it makes a big difference.

If the NOS had the same format in that respect (not such gigantic charts and all of an airports relevant charts in the same spot) I'd use them without a second thought.

-mini

*edit*
I noticed the DOD (military) plate book was actually printed on white paper. Any particular reasons for that? The plates inside looked just like the regular NOS ones that I can buy. Just curious...

 

[Swerpipe]

Q service

Jepps suck, to many revisions. Most freightdogs use NOS, they have the same info and no yellow envelopes come in the mail every 2 weeks.
The armed forces use NOS, good enough for the Marine Corps, good enough for me.

For Jepps, there is something called "Q Service", which is an update tab received periodically that you put on a book that you carry along with Jepps. You assume your Jepps are current unless they appear on the index of the last tab and if so replace it only for the pertinent flight. After receiving 10 tabs, then you replace the whole set.

We have to carry the whole US and Latin America on the airplane. So for two pilots, we have to copy approach plates from flight to flight. It would be impossible for both to carry our own( when is EFB coming?). The NOS are just not as convinient. There was a time that my job provided only NOS so I learned both.
I would suggest that any pilots out there learn both ways. There are interesting things about each of the publications. If you are an instructor, you should learn both and teach whichever one would be more convinient or prudent for your students.