Navigraph or Not?

[tup61 1,660]

For years (decades) I flew without Navigraph. Every now and then I did use charts but it was a chore finding them, even on well organized sites. I also didn't really need them. I could fly perfecly well without them. Later on I used LNM more and more and also its ability to show procedures. I only bought a Navigraph cycle once a year or so to update certain addons.

All of that changed when the Fenix A320 arrived.

I looked at the integration in the EFB and how well it worked with SimBrief and I also wanted to do things (even) more realistically so... even before actually buying the Fenix (was waiting for PayPal) I purchased a year sub to Navigraph (because it's cheaper per month and it kinda sucks to pay for something every month LOL ).

Whenever I fly the Fenix A320 I have a blast checking out the various graphs: they aren't just very helpful but it's also fun to check them out! Very convenient when you have to taxi, very convenient to figure out how to best fly certain procedures, it's absolutely great and I can't imagine flying the Fenix properly without Navigraph! I only use it on the Fenix EFB btw: perhaps I will use it differently in the future with other addons but for now I only fly the Fenix (and probably will do so for months and months to come).

It really adds to the realism (they are official charts and no fake Aivlasoft ones!), are convenient and even fun to use (specially in the Fenix EFB) so... highly recommended!

[darshonaut 237]

12 hours ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

I often thought about getting a Navigraph subscription for the sim integration it offers but always defer because the charts I need are available on SkyVector or AirNav.  Actually I prefer to view the charts on my browser because they are scaled up so I can easily read them.

Besides that they are free!  😊

Any other takes on the subject?

sp

I use chartfox either in my Browser or on my iPad.

Enough for me.

I think Navigraph is maybe relevant for people that use VR or fly specific jet airliners much.

For me it would give me nothing I already get for free.

[JRBarrett 3,199]

1 hour ago, CFIJose said:

Disregard the red disclaimer on every NAVIGRAPH chart. As if, we are so dumb that we can't tell the difference between a sim and a real airplane.

The thing is, these are exactly the same certified and current charts one gets with a worldwide subscription from Jeppesen — which costs around $10,000 per year. 

That red warning at the bottom of every chart is to prevent someone from trying to use them in actual IFR operations a real airplane to save money. A pilot could risk doing that,  but If the FAA caught them, they could probably kiss their license goodbye.

That warning is legally required for Navigraph to be able to offer real Jeppesen charts for use in flight simulation at literally 1 percent of the yearly cost of exactly same charts without the warning

Edited June 28, 2022 by JRBarrett

[ha5mvo 262]

10 minutes ago, JRBarrett said:

The thing is, these are exactly the same certified and current charts one gets with a worldwide subscription from Jeppesen — which costs around $10,000 per year. 

 

I'm not sure they are the most current though. I believe they are the most current of what's available to navigraph. I think you might have older charts where navigraph could not attain the most current ones. 

[CFIJose 5,485]

16 minutes ago, JRBarrett said:

The thing is, these are exactly the same certified and current charts one gets with a worldwide subscription from Jeppesen — which costs around $10,000 per year. 

That red warning at the bottom of every chart is to prevent someone from trying to use them in actual IFR operations a real airplane to save money. A pilot could risk doing that,  but If the FAA caught them, they could probably kiss their license goodbye.

That warning is legally required for Navigraph to be able to offer real Jeppesen charts for use in flight simulation at literally 1 percent of the yearly cost of exactly same charts without the warning

Beautifully written.

What I meant is that as an IFR rated pilot, just because there's a disclaimer it doesn't mean that the info is not real or is like "the real thing." You can use them for your own personal training and enjoyment. You will still need legal charts for real IFR in a real airplane. We as IFR pilots should know all this info.

[CFIJose 5,485]

8 minutes ago, ha5mvo said:

I'm not sure they are the most current though. I believe they are the most current of what's available to navigraph. I think you might have older charts where navigraph could not attain the most current ones. 

They could also be missing some information.

[JRBarrett 3,199]

22 minutes ago, ha5mvo said:

I'm not sure they are the most current though. I believe they are the most current of what's available to navigraph. I think you might have older charts where navigraph could not attain the most current ones. 

I’ve done a side-by-side comparison between Navigraph and actual Jeppesen charts and have always found they correspond exactly. (I manage all the Jeppesen nav data and chart subscriptions for a corporate flight department). In January of 2021 the two ILS approaches at my home airport KELM underwent a major redesign of the entry procedures. The new version appeared in the official Jeppesen chart release and in Navigraph charts at exactly the same time.

It is important to note that the effectivity date shown on a Jeppesen chart may be months in the past. It shows the date that the the chart was last updated. If there have been no revisions to the procedure since the last update, the date does not change. In the case of the two ILS approaches at KELM, the effectivity date in “25 DEC 20”, but the charts are still the most current ones for these runways.

[Drumcode 1,912]

7 hours ago, Beardyman said:

Navigraph Chart sucks, subscription is very expensive yet whole package is indispensable... 🙂

Seriously? That's 38.9 zloty a month. That's a price for a good bottle of vodka you don't have to drink. 

[Beardyman 612]

13 minutes ago, Drumcode said:

Seriously? That's 38.9 zloty a month. That's a price for a good bottle of vodka you don't have to drink. 

I pay one time for whole year so pain is slightly bigger 🙂, also if u compare monthly fee of other software, Navigraph is on top shelf.

[Bobsk8 12,945]

4 hours ago, tup61 said:

 

It really adds to the realism (they are official charts and no fake Aivlasoft ones!), are convenient and even fun to use (specially in the Fenix EFB) so... highly recommended!

If Avliasoft contains all the data that is in the charts, why is that "fake".? 

[flyinpilot212121 724]

All this talk about navigraph made me decide to renew my subscription… oh how I’ve missed the ease and practicality of this software… running like a champ on my iPad! 

[tup61 1,660]

14 hours ago, Bobsk8 said:

If Avliasoft contains all the data that is in the charts, why is that "fake".? 

Because Navigraph charts are real. 😉 The Aivlasoft charts may contain the infornation that you need but they absolutely and certainly do not contain all the data that is on the Navigraph charts: those contain everything a real world pilot will see in his or her charts, because they are real charts, and to me that adds a lot to the realism and immersion. And hence the Aivlasoft charts are fake: that simply is a fact. Nothing wrong with that btw since you seem to be very happy with them. 😉

Edited June 29, 2022 by tup61

[Bobsk8 12,945]

3 hours ago, tup61 said:

Because Navigraph charts are real. 😉 The Aivlasoft charts may contain the infornation that you need but they absolutely and certainly do not contain all the data that is on the Navigraph charts: those contain everything a real world pilot will see in his or her charts, because they are real charts, and to me that adds a lot to the realism and immersion. And hence the Aivlasoft charts are fake: that simply is a fact. Nothing wrong with that btw since you seem to be very happy with them. 😉

Name me something that is missing in  Avliasoft that would be necessary to do an IFR flight? I just don't have time to juggle multiple charts while flying. with EFB it's all there on one screen and I don't have to pay every month for it. 

[tup61 1,660]

2 hours ago, Bobsk8 said:

Name me something that is missing in  Avliasoft that would be necessary to do an IFR flight? I just don't have time to juggle multiple charts while flying. with EFB it's all there on one screen and I don't have to pay every month for it. 

I didn't say Aivlasoft is missing something that's absolutely necessary to do an IFR flight: Navigraph simply has more information and is real to life and I like that. In all honesty, to do an IFR flight you don't need charts AT ALL...! I have flown without charts for years! Anyway, I do have time enough during cruise to juggle multiple charts LOL and like doing so: you probably have other things to do during cruise and that's fine. 😉 To each his own and it's great to have all these options!

[Saucey12 40]

I do the subscription to Navigraph, maybe I shouldnt.  But they do have a nice interface into MSFS, and their app works well on my samsung tablet that I keep near me during a flight  I dont even hafta really open the interface on the VC anymore.  Its 8USD a month.  And I get more out of it than a 20 dollar netflix subscription (which I dropped) .  So its up to you, because their are free things that are just as good.