Best Way to TPP Paperbook (Approach Plates)?

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LastXdeth

Filing Flight Plan
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LastXdeth
My IFR checkride is scheduled next week. I've been using paper approach plates throughout my IR training which consists of printing approach plates from the FAA website, and we usually shoot approaches in the same three airport in our local area. If we're going to a different airport than the three usual, my CFI would tell me beforehand so I could anticipate and print them out. I had a pretty solid system of organizing them; I would simply staple them together by airport and clip them on my kneeboard or place them in corner of the cowling if I did not expect to use them.

However, my checkride is a scheduled in a different location and I don't know what airports/approaches what my DPE would want me shoot, so I bought the actual white 800+page TPP (Terminal Procedures Publication) book to cover all the approach plates from my region.

Anyways, I just did a checkride review flight today with my CFI using the TPP book for the first time and it kept falling off my thighs, causing me to deviate noticeably on altitudes and headings as I try to recover the book and fumble back to the right page. My cockpit organization was trash!

How did y'all old-timers fly with the TPP book back in the day? Did y'all strap it to your legs, or just bookmarked all the airports in the local area? I'm not a fan of ripping pages off the book and using the file binder.
 
Did you buy the bound booklet or the loose leaf hole-punched ones?
 
LastXdeth said:
The bounded one. I did not know there was a leaf hole-punched one.
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I would probably use bookmarks on "approaches of interest" plus a rubber band to keep the current page. Your DPE might tell which approaches you'll do before you takeoff.
 
My DPE also told me in advance (I called him a week in advance) the IFR routing he would be asking me to fly and which approaches we would use. That gave me a chance to practice the same flight with my instructor ahead of time. It helped.
 
If you must use paper, leg straps are available that are clear. I used mine for 15 years before I switched to EFB on my iPad. Good luck on your ride.
 
LastXdeth said:
The bounded one. I did not know there was a leaf hole-punched one.
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Yes there is a loose leaf version. Holes punched along the top. But they weren't available yet when I did my ride; just the bound ones like you are using, Gawd I hated those things. Had me running straight to Jepp after my checkride.

I used a leg strap. Probably the same one @kep5niner mentioned.
upload_2020-7-3_4-15-4.jpeg

LOL! You've brought back memories. That was more than 25 years ago. And I haven't used a paper approach plate of any kind in flight in 9 years!
 
Leg strap, or, the "flight desk" essentially a clipboard (sideways on your lap) with foam strips on the bottom so it didn't slip. This could be made from a $2 legal-sized clipboard bought at staples, or purchased from Sporty's, etc. with a hinged middle and extra clips. Yes, the preferred method was Jepps, or the loose-leaf gov't charts, and you might have plastic sleeves for the frequently used plates. You could, of course, take a razor knife and cut the plates you know you'll use from the bound volume.
 
Jim Carpenter said:
Leg strap, or, the "flight desk" essentially a clipboard (sideways on your lap) with foam strips on the bottom so it didn't slip. This could be made from a $2 legal-sized clipboard bought at staples, or purchased from Sporty's, etc. with a hinged middle and extra clips. Yes, the preferred method was Jepps, or the loose-leaf gov't charts, and you might have plastic sleeves for the frequently used plates. You could, of course, take a razor knife and cut the plates you know you'll use from the bound volume.
Click to expand...
In 2020, if I still used the flip book, I'd leave it intact and have it available to deal with unexpected diversions. I would print out the plates I expected to use.
 
midlifeflyer said:
In 2020, if I still used the flip book, I'd leave it intact and have it available to deal with unexpected diversions. I would print out the plates I expected to use.
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Agreed, cutting the booklet up does kind of leave a disorganized mess.
 
I always bought the loose-leaf plates and used the little plastic rings to hold them together. I would pull the plates I needed out and clip them to the yoke, or clip them on my kneeboard. I haven't bought printed plates in years. If I need one printed, I download and print it. Now, I mostly I use plates on the ipad, which is clipped to my yoke.
 
Wondering if they would tear out neatly; you could pull them as you fly, put them on your kneeboard to use while the book is stored been the seats or other accessible place.
 
Won't you be briefing the flight during the oral portion of the checkride, giving you the opportunity put stickies on the charts for for the approaches and alternates?

I dunno, haven't done the ride myself, but I find it odd that you'd just launch without some level of discussion.
 
Ravioli said:
Won't you be briefing the flight during the oral portion of the checkride, giving you the opportunity put stickies on the charts for for the approaches and alternates?

I dunno, haven't done the ride myself, but I find it odd that you'd just launch without some level of discussion.
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The stickers isn't the real issue with the book. @LastXdeth talked about finding the right page but also "it kept falling off my thighs, causing me to deviate noticeably on altitudes and headings as I try to recover the book and fumble back to the right page."

Basically, the book is unwieldy. Even if you mark the pages, the bound book was a pain to work with. It's part of the reason the FAA ultimately included a looseleaf option. Even then, the book was a pain, but you could at least take the pages out and put them in something like this for organization (a great product; I still have mine although I haven't used in in almost a decade)
517xHVPB1TL._AC_.jpg
 
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