Aero-Tips!

A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of "there are no old, bold pilots.")

Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner, master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us -- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators. Some of them, you may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we might never have considered before, or something that didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for the practical test.

Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you through the Aero-News Network.

Aero-Tips 06.22.06

Planning a flight outside the United States? Interested in aeronautical facilities and topography in other lands? Looking for some colorful and unusual gift-wrapping paper? You can get aeronautical charts for "foreign" (to our US readers, anyway) areas.

The Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) gives these sources:

National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) Products

A catalog of NIMA Public Sale Aeronautical Charts and Publications (FAA Stock No. DMAACATSET) is available from the National Aeronautical Charting Office (NACO) Distribution Division. The catalog describes available charts and publications primarily covering areas outside the US

A free quarterly bulletin, Dates of Latest Editions - NIMA Aeronautical Charts and Publications (FAA Stock No. DADOLE) is also available from NACO.

Note: contact for NACO is:

National Aeronautical Charting Office (NACO) Distribution Division,
Federal Aviation Administration
6303 Ivy Lane, Suite 400
Greenbelt, MD 20770
Telephone: 1-800-638-8972 (Toll free within US)
301-436-8301/6990
301-436-6829 (FAX)
e-mail: 9-AMC-Chartsales@faa.gov

Products include:

1. Flight Information Publication (FLIP) Planning Documents.
2. • General Planning (GP)
   • Area Planning
   • Area Planning - Special Use Airspace - Planning Charts
3. FLIP Enroute Charts and Chart Supplements.
4. • Pacific, Australasia, and Antarctica
   • US - IFR and VFR Supplements
   • Flight Information Handbook
   • Caribbean and South America - Low Altitude
   • Caribbean and South America - High Altitude
   • High Altitude--Europe, North Africa, and Middle East
   • Low Altitude Europe, North Africa, and Middle East
   • High Altitude—Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia
   • Area Arrival Charts
5. FLIP Instrument Approach Procedures (IAPs).
6. • Africa
   • Canada and North Atlantic
   • Caribbean and South America
   • Eastern Europe and Asia
   • Europe, North Africa, and Middle East
   • Pacific, Australasia, and Antarctica
   • VFR Arrival/Departure Routes - Europe and Korea
7. Miscellaneous Department of Defense (DoD) Charts and Products.
8. • Aeronautical Chart Updating Manual (CHUM)
   • DoD Weather Plotting Charts (WPC)
   • Tactical Pilotage Charts (TPC)
   • Operational Navigation Charts (ONC)
   • Global Navigation and Planning Charts (GNC)
   • Global LORAN-C Navigation Charts (GLCC)
   • LORAN-C Coastal Navigation Charts (LCNC)
   • Jet Navigation Charts (JNC) and Universal Jet
   • Navigation Charts (JNU)
   • Jet Navigation Charts (JNCA)
   • Aerospace Planning Charts (ASC)
   • Oceanic Planning Charts (OPC)
   • Joint Operations Graphics - Air (JOG-A)
   • Standard Index Charts (SIC)
   • Universal Plotting Sheet (VP-OS)
   • Sight Reduction Tables for Air Navigation (PUB249)
   • Plotting Sheets (VP-30)
   • Dial-Up Electronic CHUM

     

Canadian Charts

Obtain Canadian charts and publications from FAA chart agents or by contacting NAV CANADA at:

NAV CANADA
Aeronautical Publications
Sales and Distribution Unit
P.O. Box 9840, Station T
Ottawa, Ontario K1G 6S8 Canada
Telephone: 613-744-6393 or 1-866-731-7827
Fax: 613-744-7120 or 1-866-740-9992
Mexican Charts. Get Mexican charts and publications by contacting:
Dirección de Navigacion Aereo
Blvd. Puerto Aereo 485
Zona Federal Del Aeropuerto Int'l
15620 Mexico D.F.

Mexico

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO offers a free ICAO Publications and Audio-Visual Training Aids Catalogue from:

International Civil Aviation Organization
ATTN: Document Sales Unit
999 University Street
Montreal, Quebec
H3C 5H7, Canada
Telephone: (514) 954-8022
Fax: (514) 954-6769
E-mail: sales_unit@icao.org
Internet: http://www.icao.org/cgi/goto.pl?icao/en/sales.htm

Aero-tip of the day: Explore the world with international aeronautical charts.

FMI: Aero-Tips