Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
#1641240
I say carry, as I suspect they are not used for nav most of the time.

I say over 50's as that's when long sightedness kicks in.

I use the 1:500,000, with my route marked just in case both of my 2 skydemon appliances run out of juice, and the 12v charger stops working, and the nav aids stop working, on the <4 hour flight (is my sarcasm coming through ok?), but have noticed that ground features are generally so indistinct, and these days the text is virtually ineligible that I am thinking if I were to carry a chart with a view to actually using it, I would need 1:250,000s.

So, for those over 50 and who do use paper charts, what size do you use?

As an aside, maybe the CAA could look at the rules again and maybe allow 2 independent, of each other and the aircraft systems, electronic charts, to be legal?
#1641242
Where do you get the impression that "2 independent, of each other and the aircraft systems, electronic charts" are not sufficient to be legal? I haven't carried a paper chart for years. One of the reasons is the inability of paper charts to zoom to a comfort level thatmatches my presbyopia.

BTW if you want an extra contingency, I find a powercore (the same one I used to power PilotAware) offers that.
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#1641244
1:500,000, current!, until I hung up my headset. Only 'South of England and Wales' since I was based at Staverton. The only time I planned to fly outside it was when PP was to have been at Leeds East, when I reckoned that last little bit in the North of England would be OK with 2 devices running SD and an out-of-date RAF 1:250,000 topo. In the event wx prevented us (the entire Staverton PP contingent) from going.

However, I had worn glasses for myopia since age 14. I became aware that I was peering over the top of them (and pushing them forward on the nose to do it, holding chart VERY close, then back) to read the detail on the chart. This was both awkward under the grip of the headset and could slightly alarm my RHS passengers .. :oops: My optician (himself a feral FI) recommended varifocals, to cope with the evident nascent presbyopia, whereafter I had no problems picking out all necessary detail on the chart through the lenses.
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1641248
Its an advantage to have been slightly shortsighted, as in later life longsightedness /presbyopia takes much longer to kick in. No 'reading glasses ' required.

Although I've used varifocals for decades for reading and flying to 'sharpen up the numbers'
at my last medical my visual acuity was such that, technically I no longer need to wear/carry a spare pair of specs.

I can read the smallest print on the reading card sans specs and my distance vision without is within range for Class 2 .

However my vision for long distance is still better with specs so I choose to wear them for driving/flying.

In bright sunshine I occasionally forget to put my specs on for driving: Something to do with f stops and apertures.

Peter :wink:
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#1641253
48, longsighted, wear 1.75 half-moon reading glasses (or bifocal sunglasses).

I use 1:500,000 - but am finding where an area is particularly fiddly I'm tending to print it out (I use memorymap) at 200% scale, or zoom in on the tablet showing the same chart. Yes, they are getting increasingly hard to read at 100% scale.

G
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#1641264
Varifocals. Go to a decent independent optician.
I a lifelong glasses wearer, Realised that I needed varifocals when on a night flight aged 49 and three quarters I could no longer read the half million. I was OK in daylight but not at night. Now at nearly 53 I fly with SkyDemon on an iPad 2 plus the paper half million and, usually, some model of installed Garmin. All good with the varifocals.
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By GrahamB
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1641267
SD on large format iPad Pro. SD on normal format iPad Pro for back up and display of IFR IACs.

No paper charts bought for over 5 years, although I will print backup paper copies of Jeppesen charts if the forecasts look like anything other than VMC at departure/destination and alternates.
#1641269
51 and fly with varifocals (glasses & sunglasses); works fine.

I always have a 1:250 in one of the seat back pockets (just in case). I did my FAA PPL(H) in Florida and then three months later completed my EASA (then JAA) PPL(H) near London, so saw both systems back-to-back in short succession.

One personal note is that I've always hated CAA charts; they're rubbish and I wish to use them as little as possible. I have no need for an oversized, slick, glossy, difficult to fold & manage map in a helicopter . Very glad I started in 2006 at the onset of widespread GPS use.
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#1641272
Okay, I know the issue of electronic charts being used instead of paper, but I still thought it was a grey area in that some people think a PAPER chart is a legal requirement.

Has it been tested or clarified that it is not? I have no desire to buy any more, and I have enough old ones lying around for my boys to cover their exercise books for the foreseeable future.

As for getting glasses, I am currently in the range where I do not legally need prescription glasses, but I do choose to wear prescription sunglasses (for short sight) when I fly to sharpen things up and be able to more easily distinguish a dead fly on the windscreen and something outside I should be aware of. Next time around I will investigate varifocals as its getting a bit uncomfortable trying to read something close with the sunglasses on.

All that being said, I still find the current CAA 1:500,000 chart pretty useless for planning and navigating, could be my eyesight making it worse, it could be the charts have got gradually less practical or it could be that I've just been spoiled with the electronic maps I've been using over the last 5 years or so.
#1641273
RisePilot wrote:51 and fly with varifocals (glasses & sunglasses); works fine.

I always have a 1:250 in one of the seat back pockets (just in case). I did my FAA PPL(H) in Florida and then three months later completed my EASA (then JAA) PPL(H) near London, so saw both systems back-to-back in short succession.

One personal note is that I've always hated CAA charts; they're rubbish and I wish to use them as little as possible. I have no need for an oversized, slick, glossy, difficult to fold & manage map in a helicopter . Very glad I started in 2006 at the onset of widespread GPS use.


I found the US charts much more readable, I'm not sure if that is due to the non-glossy colour scheme, or as I suspect it is more to do with everything being much more spaced out (man) over there.
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By GrahamB
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1641275
mo0g wrote:Has it been tested or clarified that it is not? I have no desire to buy any more, and I have enough old ones lying around for my boys to cover their exercise books for the foreseeable

The GM to Part NCO.GEN.135 is very specific:
The documents, manuals and information may be available in a form other than on printed paper. An electronic storage medium is acceptable if accessibility, usability and reliability can be assured.

If you read the full text there is no doubt that it applies to all textual and graphical aeronautical information pertinent to the flight.
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#1641280
I still draw a line on an up to date 1/2 mil UK chart and occasionally glance at it in flight for situational awareness and of course backup. Mainly because it is something I have always done and it gives me that comfort blanket.
I can read it just fine with Bi-focals. I tried Vari's and couldn't get on with them!
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By TopCat
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1641282
Other than SkyDemon, I use the half million.

And these.

If you're lucky enough to have good distance vision and negligible astigmatism, they're perfect. Mine are the +1 version that I've been using for three or four years now, I use them for driving, cycling, and flying. I probably ought to go up to +1.25 or +1.5.

They look cool (well they do on me, no idea about you lot :wink: :wink: ) and best of all, no one can see that they're actually bifocals from the outside.