Just pull the charts off airnav and print em..

Because they will also not have them.Are the prices for the AeroNav DVD's going up at all? That is where all these companies buy their information from they don't just download it all every 28 days.

Until I see this on, or get an e-mail from, AOPA... Not going to worry about it.

Here's the AOPA's take: http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2011/111115faa-industry-to-meet-about-digital-chart-costs.html and here is the comment on the new policy http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2011/111017-faa-reviews-chart-distribution-policies.htmlDJ

Because they will also not have them.Are the prices for the AeroNav DVD's going up at all? That is where all these companies buy their information from they don't just download it all every 28 days.

There's been no mention of that in the press and of course Sporty's has them cheaper than Aeronav.DJ

Here's the AOPA's take: http://www.aopa.org/...hart-costs.html and here is the comment on the new policy http://www.aopa.org/...n-policies.html

Thank you for the links. I've added my name to a petition regarding this issue, though not to the petition in the OP. The issue I have with this is from a safety of flight perspective, not an inconvenience to some small community of flight simulation enthusiasts. While I have no problem paying for the digital products, at cost, my concern is rooted in the removal of access for individuals. Everything is all speculation at this point, and I'll wait until the outcome of the December meeting before I go to General Quarters.If AeroNav charges (for lack of a better term) "digital chart agents" just what it costs to produce, and limits what they can charge end-users, then it's absolutely no different than how I used to get paper charts. One interesting quote I did see today was over at SkyVector's forum:

Don't panic... yet.

We are attending a meeting at Aeronav on December 13 where we expect to learn the full details of the upcoming change. Until then there is no cause for alarm.Products of the United States Government are not protected by copyright and we don't expect that to change. Whatever Aeronav chooses to produce and however they choose to distribute it, you can trust that SkyVector will put it online for free.We have a large format color scanner and we know how to use it!

My favorite part is the last line.Guess we'll see where this goes.

"The point isn't the fee Jim - it's cutting off service to individuals that is painful. I find it especially so for government data that we already pay for. "BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kind of like a public park that was free, but because of maintenance costs rising, a small entrance fee being instituted?

Reading between the lines, it sounds like AeroNav is concerned about the provenance of a digital file purporting to be a true copy of an AeroNav product. If I'm correct it might be better to digitally sign rather than restrict distribution.scott s..

We had a similar situation in New Zealand when our government started charging for aviation weather reports to try to generate revenue. As it turned out some of our pilots didn't register to save a few bucks and went to other sources to find weather reports instead. Accidents rised after the subscriptions where implemented. The increased cost for Search and Rescue was greater then the new revenue generated from the service. Therefore the New Zealand Government has now gone back to a free service once again. It ended up costing New Zealand more money due to the increase in aviation accidents, costly Search and Rescue missions and accident investigations then the revenue generated from the weather service.Charts are different then weather reports however it would be interesting to see if pilots in the USA resort to using non-compliant or expired charts to save a buck or two...If this causes an increase in accidents, Search and Rescue costs and FAA investigations then the USA may end up in a similar situation.Cheers

We had a similar situation in New Zealand when our government started charging for aviation weather reports to try to generate revenue. As it turned out some of our pilots didn't register to save a few bucks and went to other sources to find weather reports instead. Accidents rised after the subscriptions where implemented. The increased cost for Search and Rescue was greater then the new revenue generated from the service. Therefore the New Zealand Government has now gone back to a free service once again. It ended up costing New Zealand more money due to the increase in aviation accidents, costly Search and Rescue missions and accident investigations then the revenue generated from the weather service. A free service ended up saving money in other areas.Charts are different then weather reports however it would be interesting to see if pilots in the USA resort to using non-compliant or expired charts to save a buck or two...If this causes an increase in accidents, Search and Rescue costs and FAA investigations then the USA may end up in a similar situation.Cheers

That doesn't say much for the integrity or ethics of some New Zealand pilots does it?

That doesn't say much for the integrity or ethics of some New Zealand pilots does it?

I don't think that is representative of all our pilots....Every nation has a small percentage of its population that cuts corners. USA included.Unfortunately it is the few that ruin it for the rest of us.Cheers

That doesn't say much for the integrity or ethics of some New Zealand pilots does it?

What does integrity and ethics have to do with this?

Here was one of our articles on the issue:http://www.stuff.co....fair-say-pilotsI may have made it sound more then what it really is but I saw a recent TV News Report about making it a free service once again based on safety.I agree the FAA should continue charts as a free service but every nation in the world is seeing budget issues in all government departments right now. So this comes as no surprise.Safety is an issue so hopefully GA pilots don't turn to other sources to save a buck....anywhere in the world.Cheers

Well said.

What does integrity and ethics have to do with this?

Because some pilots imperilled their and, worse, their passengers safety in order to save money.

Because some pilots imperilled their and, worse, their passengers safety in order to save money.

I'd call it poor judgment and poor ADM.