Hi Everyone!Quick question. I usually only fly in the United States because I have only been able to find low and high altitude charts for free online. Since all of my flying is IFR "steam gauge" flying, I like to have the charts and IAP's to accompany me with my flights. I'd love to fly more in Europe or elsewhere, but can't find free charts. Does anyone have a good resource? It'd be great if there was something as good as Skyvector.com for Europe and the rest of the world. Thanks guys.

Hi Blake,I don't know of a "Skyvector for Europe" (wish I did) but the best I've found is a central link on the Eurocontrol site to different countries AIS sites. http://www.eurocontr...ge/web_eur.htmlFrom there it's a game of seek. For instance go to the Finnish site - then to Services - and then to VFR charts or Aeronautical charts where Finnish enroute charts are.Hope this helps a little bit....

You can find approach plates for the UK here, and most other European Aviation authorites off a similar kind of thing:http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php%3Foption=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=6&Itemid=13.htmlBut for European route charts, you usually have to get your hand in your pocket. But, here is somewhere where it is about 20 quid for a set of European High Altitude Charts based on the Jeppeson ones:http://www.simtakeoff.com/eurchrt.htmA more cost-effective approach for flight simming would be to use Aivlasoft's Electronic Flight Bag, which can produce charts for display on your computer, or a linked client computetr 'on the fly'. Now is in fact a good time to buy that, because if you type in the discount code 'EFB737', you'll get 25 percent off the price of it. You can find them here:http://www.aivlasoft.com/products/index.htmlEFB does in fact simulate what most pilots have in their flight bags these days, and airlines are starting to fit EFBs in their airliners too, so you will be simulating the way things are done in the real aircraft with Aivlasoft's EFB.A slightly cheaper, but less capable alternative to Aivlasoft's EFB's chart generation, would be Thomas Molitor's FS Flight Keeper, which allows you to put an ACARS system in your FS aircraft. Among the many things it can do, is display maps with your flight routing and navaids, but that is less like a true chart than what EFB does, and it won't give you quite so much chart info as EFB can do, even though it does do a good many other things that are worth having it for. you cna find Fliht Keeper here:http://www.flightkeeper.net/Personally, I use both Flight Keeper and EFB, since I like the other ACARS functions Flight Keeper can offer, but there is no doubt that Electronic Flight Bag is something you would probably like very much indeed if you are seeking charts, especially useful is the drift and tailwind/headwind calculations it can overlay over the chart for you, which is great for high altitude navigation when you want to change your altitude a bit to see if you can pick up a tailwind, saving a bit of time and a lot of gas.Al

I'd love to fly more in Europe or elsewhere, but can't find free charts.

http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/publicuser/public/pu/login.jspFree registration access for European AIP :(

Personally, I use both Flight Keeper and EFB, since I like the other ACARS functions Flight Keeper can offer, but there is no doubt that Electronic Flight Bag is something you would probably like very much indeed if you are seeking charts, especially useful is the drift and tailwind/headwind calculations it can overlay over the chart for you, which is great for high altitude navigation when you want to change your altitude a bit to see if you can pick up a tailwind, saving a bit of time and a lot of gas.

A big Yes Double-Plus to this.When I run into a headwind that I had not expected (usually by relying on real world forecasts and the like) I find a local wx reporting station - as well as look ahead in my route 1-200 miles for another reporting station - and use EFB's METAR function to get FSX METAR showing the upper level winds at that moment. If I see a more favorable layer, I'll allow my obliging ATC to let me change flight level and watch the EFB wind arrow to see how well I'm doing.This has helped loads as I'm usually shaving minutes where I can to keep an on-time schedule while I fly FS Captain.

...A more cost-effective approach for flight simming would be to use Aivlasoft's Electronic Flight Bag, which can produce charts for display on your computer, or a linked client computetr 'on the fly'. Now is in fact a good time to buy that, because if you type in the discount code 'EFB737', you'll get 25 percent off the price of it. You can find them here:http://www.aivlasoft.com/products/index.htmlEFB does in fact simulate what most pilots have in their flight bags these days, and airlines are starting to fit EFBs in their airliners too, so you will be simulating the way things are done in the real aircraft with Aivlasoft's EFB.A slightly cheaper, but less capable alternative to Aivlasoft's EFB's chart generation, would be Thomas Molitor's FS Flight Keeper, which allows you to put an ACARS system in your FS aircraft. Among the many things it can do, is display maps with your flight routing and navaids, but that is less like a true chart than what EFB does, and it won't give you quite so much chart info as EFB can do, even though it does do a good many other things that are worth having it for. you cna find Fliht Keeper here:http://www.flightkeeper.net/Personally, I use both Flight Keeper and EFB, since I like the other ACARS functions Flight Keeper can offer, but there is no doubt that Electronic Flight Bag is something you would probably like very much indeed if you are seeking charts, especially useful is the drift and tailwind/headwind calculations it can overlay over the chart for you, which is great for high altitude navigation when you want to change your altitude a bit to see if you can pick up a tailwind, saving a bit of time and a lot of gas.Al

Cool! I've been looking for quite some time for these two beauties!The EFB from AivlaSft is just a beutiful program from what I can see in their screenshots, while the FS Flight Keeper moving maps (including taxi!) and winds aloft via ACARS are proceless.Two questions regarding FS Flight Keeper:1. I see the EFB from Aivlasoft feeds off the AIRAC cycles from NaviGraph, but I don't see FS Flight Keeper on the NaviGraph list. Where does Flight Keeper get its data from?2. Any idea about compatibility with the VC of PMDG B-744, A2A Accu-Sim B-17/B-377? (A B-17 with ACARS! Heh!) Couldn't find any info on their web...Thanks, Al!Cheers,- jahman.

I'm running the demo version of EFB at the moment, and it is a really nice program indeed. It does have some limitations, though - for example it assumes that DH is always 200ft for ILS approaches, and it does not provide an MDA for non-precision approaches. I also noticed that the initial climb clearance on STARs is not given. Most likely this is because the required data is not included in the navdata updates (I'm using 1105).I made a couple of VATSIM flights with it, and it proved really helpful with the nicely laid out airport diagrams and the strip with all the controller frequencies laid out sequentially across the top of the screen. You can even tune the radios directly from EFB if you want to cheat a little.

Flight Keeper pulls most of its data from the sim (i.e. if you add an airport scenery or a new aircraft, you have to let FK rebuild its database for a minute of so). Having said that, it can connect online for various functions i.e. weather downloads, communications etc, so you can chat to other people with it amongst other things (this is similar to how a real ACARS system is used to type messages and is akin to email in many respects).You can put the Flight Keeper ACARS in any FS aeroplane you like (FS9 or FSX) because it is a gauge, however, unlike most other gauges, it is a gauge which connects to its utility program (the main Flight Keeper program). It will work with any FS aeroplane, you install it on your panels via an installation program, but you can add the thing manually too if you like.Flight Keeper does so many things that it'd take me all night to type them out, so go and check out the website for it. I'd never fly a modern FS airliner without installing it, because it adds a system that modern airliners all have. FK and the CS weather radar are two things I always put in my FS airliners.Al

I'm running the demo version of EFB at the moment, and it is a really nice program indeed. It does have some limitations, though - for example it assumes that DH is always 200ft for ILS approaches,

EFB displays default decision heights based on the type of approach and the equipment listed in the scenery BGL files -- 200' for CAT I and LDA, but 50' for CATIII. I forget what's used for CAT II, but I'd guess 100'.

and it does not provide an MDA for non-precision approaches. I also noticed that the initial climb clearance on STARs is not given. Most likely this is because the required data is not included in the navdata updates (I'm using 1105).

I get an MDA of 500' for RNAV and VOR approaches, or do you mean for other types?And correct on the lack of STAR clearance data. I guess it would take a set of enhanced airport data to provide missing and assumed data.

You can even tune the radios directly from EFB if you want to cheat a little.

I resisted that cheat for quite a while, but finally gave in. Even when running Multi Crew Experience, I find it easier to set up COM 1 active and standby when doing preflight. :(

You can put the Flight Keeper ACARS in any FS aeroplane you like (FS9 or FSX) because it is a gauge, however, unlike most other gauges, it is a gauge which connects to its utility program (the main Flight Keeper program). It will work with any FS aeroplane, you install it on your panels via an installation program, but you can add the thing manually too if you like.

I will definitely try it out, but I guess what I meant is how does it install in the VC cockpit of the PMDG B-744? Or does it float in a separate window? (I'm guessing the latter and hoping for the forner...)Thanks again,- jahman.