Erasable highlighters?

[Bill]

Sportys sells a set of erasable highlighters for flight planning use on charts, etc. Anyone used them? Work well (or not)? Is the eraser mechanical abrasion or chemical?

 

[AdamZ]

Bill: I have used them, but did not buy mine from sportys. you can get them from any office supply story pretty darn cheap. Yes they do work. One point is the highlighter the other the eraser. The eraser is a chemical of some sort that essentially makes the highlighter ink dissappear. The one downside I have seen with them is that when you erase a course or spot, the chemical stays on the paper and can make it very difficult to re-highlight over the erased portion. I do however like them. i usually highlight often used VOR freqs and radials.

 

[Greebo]

I can't speak about what Sporty's sells, but I've used the chemical erasible types, and they work *pretty* well, so long as you can deal with the fact that if you draw and then erase later, you need to re-draw over any erased portions with much patience (the eraser compound tends to stay around for a while).

 

[Bill]

Thanks, guys, and thanks, Adam, for the tip. I'll go look at the local office supply places first (although they don't give a Skyhawk away, I always buy something small from Sportys each year to keep my name in).

 

[ejensen]

Results vary with the type or paper too. Sectionals work ok but NACA plates not as good.

 

[Stu]

Tip from Air Force targeting folks.
Write, mark, and draw lines on your charts (Sectionals, WACs, GNCs - whatever) with a "Flair" pen (other types may or may not work - experiment first).
Once you're through with the marks/lines, blot lightly with common household bleach (Clorox, etc.) on a tissue of some sort. Don't soak the chart, it will wrinkle just like you've dropped it in a rain puddle. With very little practice, you'll be able to draw lines and reuse your charts with minimal effort.
Give it a try!

 

[Bill]

Tip from Air Force targeting folks.

OK, Flair pen. I'll try on an outdated sectional first.

 

[Stu]

The regular Flair pen is preferable to the "Hardhead". The "hardhead" felt point does not "squish out" with use like the regular Flair but the ink seems to be formulated a little differently (does not bleach as easily).

Let me know how you make out.

 

[ejensen]

Bleach will work with some highlighters too. But rather messy for the cockpit.

 

[AirBaker]

I've got some highlighter 'tape' that I've used before. Easy to pull up and remove. Works well for me.

 

[glpilot]

I have one, but with mine I noticed when I erase, it also erases part of the sectional leaving a sort of light haze along the course line that once was.