What I find a pain for the AIP plates you need to dive into the AD section to find the descriptions for a SID STAR.
Depends on the country. I’d say it’s more often to have all info on plate rather than not but descriptions are sometimes on the second page.
In general, AIP plates for majority of European countries are ok and can be used with a bit of preparation. Format (A4) doesn’t play any role if you use them on iPad which is what majority of the pilots do.
Vref wrote:
What I find a pain for the AIP plates you need to dive into the AD section to find the descriptions for a SID STAR….If you use only the plate you can be in for a big surprise…
What countries have the SID/STAR descriptions in the text section?
I think it is terrible that ATC gives you SIDxxxx but the AIP plate lists “SIDxxxx” in the most obscure manner possible.
It shows utter cynicism in the national CAAs who draft this crap, while pretending that their national charts are not for aviation use; they are intended only for promulgation of navigation data.
Then Jeppesen laughs all the way to the bank.
There is a 100% correlation between Jepp laughing all the way to the bank and how useless the national AIP plates are. In the US, Jepp aren’t exactly laughing.
In fact it is highly likely that Jepp have a secret €€€€€ deal with various national CAAs. This came out of the Jepp court case in Australia which was settled with a super secret NDA. I once spoke to the CAA guy in charge who admitted he was intimately familiar with it but was exceedingly reluctant in having a conversation around it.
In turn, this would explain the crap national charts in Europe – a secret deal with Jepp to not damage their business.
There is simply NO justification for this situation. Any attempt to justify it is like arguing that in having to choose amputation of both legs, or just your dick, the dick option is really really great and we should all support it.
The deficiencies in various national instrument charts can be discussed to death along with the political (or not) reasons behind them. It won’t change anything.
The big argument against them is simply that they are all of (different) national design. Any pilot flying in only one or perhaps 2-3 countries can learn each country’s chart legends and terminology. But I for one have other uses for my grey cells than trying to keep the formats for 25+ countries clear in my mind to the point of being able to pick up any chart and immediately shift to its presentation. The elephant in the room for me is always the charts without DH/MDA where one needs to calculate from OCH. The thought of having to do that when diverting to an alternate airport in dreadful weather just gives me chills. Someone who only uses those charts might think otherwise.
Jeppesen’s big advantage…. one format world-wide. One can study the chart legends in great detail until reading them is almost second nature and then just go flying anywhere in the world.
BTJMO
Peter wrote:
how useless the national AIP plates are
Here’s the comparison of Jepp and AIP plate for LKPR as shown in ForeFlight.
While Jepp plate is definitely better structured and easier to read, the other one still contains all information and it’s not so bad.
There are better and worse AIP plates, depending on country.
Or another example LDZA.
The info is there but you need reading glasses 
The key is that Jepp plates were designed for A5 (or an old 800×600 tablet) whereas the AIP plates were not designed for any size; the info is crammed in. Basically you need to print them in A4, or zoom around if displayed on a tablet.
Peter wrote:
Basically you need to print them in A4, or zoom around if displayed on a tablet.
I don’t know almost anybody who prints plates, so if something is small it can easily be zoomed. The plates I uploaded are shown at that size on iPad, so readability is practically the same.
Airborne_Again wrote:
What countries have the SID/STAR descriptions in the text section?
E.g Belgium AD 2.22
Peter wrote:
The info is there but you need reading glassesThe key is that Jepp plates were designed for A5 (or an old 800×600 tablet) whereas the AIP plates were not designed for any size; the info is crammed in. Basically you need to print them in A4, or zoom around if displayed on a tablet.
Agreed its all about the structure, non of the AIPs have a structured approach they all follow ICAO somehow. What was smart of JEPP is the briefing strip, I whished it would be in the AIPs as standard somehow. In general the font is too small in most AIP charts. The should omit the LAT LONG and publish it somewhere else, or its even already published somewhere else as significant point :-)
Take Emirs sample LUKAVEC has a DME 4.6 from FAF 109,85 find that on the AIP chart …?
