Paul Tomblin wrote:
In a previous article, "Andrew Sarangan" said:
And, if/when users fees take root, those NACO charts will no longer be free.

That's a good point I never thought about. The biggest difference
between the Canadian user fee-based system and the U.S. is the free
availablility of charts. This has made possible a number of aviation
technologies, such as laptop/PDA based charts and moving maps, Airnav
etc and a huge number of online services. As far as I know, such things

At one time, you could order Canadian digital data from Energy Mines and
Resources Canada much like you can from the FAA. That went away when
NavCanada took over.

don't exist in Canada. Charts are very expensive and not readily
available. A U.S. pilot who is used to online products will find it
very difficult to fly in Canada (I did).

On the other hand, when I forgot to bring my low altitude en-route chart
on a trip to Ottawa, I just walked into a map store in downtown Ottawa and
bought a new one. Try doing *that* in most US cities.

I fly to Canada often enough that I subscribe to the charts from
NavCanada. A year's worth of Canada Flight Supplements costs about as
much as two would cost you in Canada, or about what one would cost you
from Sporties.


I don't fly to Canada enough to justify a subscription. Heck, I don't
even have a U.S subscription. I normally don't think about the flight
until a couple of days before, and in many cases the night before. As a
result I had to fly many times in Canada with expired charts. If I
don't have the U.S. charts, all I need is an internet access, even if
it is 1am on a Sunday morning. Try that in downtown Ottawa. I know
because I lived in Ottawa for several years as a graduate student.