WAC who uses them.

Tom-D

Tom-D

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Tom-D
or have we all gone electronic?

I don't see them on Skyvector.com
 
I've never used them, what with having a plane that isn't all that fast.

But, I would like a bunch to put on the wall in my son's room. Right now we have sectionals up which doesn't cover as much of the US as we'd like.

Does anyone have a bunch of expired WACs they'd sell me (of the western US)?
 
I've only ever used them for general long distance flight planning. I prefer the sectional and TAC if available in the cockpit.

Now with sectionals online through skyvector, flightplan.com and runway finder, I rarely bother with a paper WAC.
 
Last time I used one was many years ago for a long X-C. I was too cheap to buy the sectionals. LOL!
 
I've only used paper WAC's once. I didn't like the lack of detail, I just didn't think it worked well for flying relatively low and slow.

Now, if I had a turbo twinkie and was going to be flying much higher, it might make more sense, but that's the only reason I would ever bother buying one again. In the grand scheme of things, anyone who's flying too high/fast to be able to keep up on a sectional is probably using a high enroute anyway, not a WAC.
 
I'm sure they were intended to be a planning tool for the most part. Kind of outdated with all the electronic graphical planning tools out there but it's still nice to have a big picture view of areas spanning more than one sectional sitting on the table.
 
I used them last year to plan my coast to coast trip. I'm getting ready to order WAC charts to cover next years trip to Alaska.

Once we were on the trip, we had sectionals and the aircrafts gps moving map.
I now have ForeFlight on the iPad and they just added canadian chart coverage.
 
I keep a couple WACs in the plane. CF17 and CG19 covers the rocky mountain and midwest region from Canada to Mexico.
They're my backup backup charts, if the IPad and IPhone both fail simultaneously, or if ForeFlight and SkyCharts both fail simultaneously.
I replace them every year or two.
 
COFlyBoy said:
But, I would like a bunch to put on the wall in my son's room. Right now we have sectionals up which doesn't cover as much of the US as we'd like.

Does anyone have a bunch of expired WACs they'd sell me (of the western US)?
Click to expand...
I hung up this VFR planning chart on my wall. Covers the whole U.S. 59x36". $9.85 retail.
 
The question should be "Sectionals - who uses them?".

When I still flew VFR X/Cs, I never understood the need for sectionals. WACs are fine for long distances.
 
My plan for backup to Foreflight is WAC's (as well as recently outdated L charts and approach books). While I don't like the detail (vs. sectionals), it sure cuts down on the number of charts.

Wells
 
As a side note, I started carrying them after I had a wx divert on an 1100mi cross country that almost took me outside the sectionals I had bought. Just a few WACs will provide a LOT of backup.
 
WAC charts were useful to me only because they cut the "paper chase" in the plane on long x-country flights.

Now, with all the sectionals neatly stored inside my iPad, they have been superceded.
 
Jay Honeck said:
WAC charts were useful to me only because they cut the "paper chase" in the plane on long x-country flights.

Now, with all the sectionals neatly stored inside my iPad, they have been superceded.
Click to expand...

At one time I had a planing chart that covered 1 whole wall in the den, Barb got tired of looking at it and I have not seen it in several years, but it was handy prior to Airnav. and Skyvector.
 
sba55 said:
The question should be "Sectionals - who uses them?".

When I still flew VFR X/Cs, I never understood the need for sectionals. WACs are fine for long distances.
Click to expand...

Depends on where you fly - Sectionals and TACs have far better detail than WACs. Lots of important stuff that can be of use on a Sectional or TAC that you won't find on a WAC.

When I was in the merchant marine, it was drilled into our heads that you always use the largest scale chart (covering smallest area) available. You don't use a coastal chart for a transit into a harbor, even though the harbor may be depicted on the coastal chart. You pull out the harbor chart. Just like you don't use an offshore chart while navigating along the coast line.

When I started flying, I naturally took that mindset with me. Always use a Sectional over a WAC and if there is a TAC available, I'm on it. I hardly ever use my LA sectional for example. I always fly with the San Diego and LA TACs, unless I am heading out west toward AZ. Yes, it means using two charts instead of one, but the level of detail is far much better.
 
denverpilot said:
Last time I used one was many years ago for a long X-C. I was too cheap to buy the sectionals. LOL!
Click to expand...

Up here there's a gazillion sectionals. I always just bought two or three WACs instead and the TAC for Anchorage/Fairbanks.

Of course like Tom asked now I'm paperless with Foreflight.
 
alaskaflyer said:
Up here there's a gazillion sectionals. I always just bought two or three WACs instead and the TAC for Anchorage/Fairbanks.

Of course like Tom asked now I'm paperless with Foreflight.
Click to expand...

Yeah,,, but you live so far out in the sticks that they must pump sunlight to you..
 
Perhaps you need to try zooming out? I just punched in a couple other airport codes from around the country (Chicago, Philadelphia) and I've got the option to view the WAC chart along with the TAC and enroute charts right there.

Not sure why I'm getting the option and you're not. Just lucky, I guess :D
 
Tom-D said:
2 anyway,,,,,(WG 18 and 19) how do you get to the rest of them..
Click to expand...

They don't appear to have the WACs in the index, so it only shows choices for the spot in your crosshairs. If you want to look at another one move to that region of the country and the choice should be available at top.
 
Tom-D said:
2 anyway,,,,,(WG 18 and 19) how do you get to the rest of them..
Click to expand...

Tom, if you look in the upper right hand corner of the map display, you should see buttons for all available charts in that area - Low and High enroute, Sectional and WAC, and TAC if available.

I looked at both KMSN and KBVS, the respective WACs are both available to select at the top.
 
WoW,,,,,,,,, found them, thanks guys
 
sba55 said:
The question should be "Sectionals - who uses them?".
Click to expand...

I still use sectionals and a single VOR with a needle that likes to wobble alot... I didn't start flying full time with a VFR GPS until July 2011. :yikes:
 
We can see that some people like WACs because of less need to carry more paper, with some concessions for detail that you'd have on sectionals. But, how do people feel about making use of sectional charts that are kept whole and unstitched as opposed to companies that stitch them all together (digital media)? Stitching certainly appears to be a wonderful idea but it does come at a cost of losing information at edges of charts where they are pieced together, in various places. We've noticed some pilots value stitched charts even if there is a loss of some information, whereas others will prefer unstitched whole charts. Perhaps another factor is how the charts are used. Even today some pilots will use digital media on the ground but still use paper in the air, so they might be fine with stitched charts for quick and dirty planning on ground. Others may prefer to just use one piece of technology on-ground and in-air.
 
SkytrexSystems said:
We've noticed some pilots value stitched charts even if there is a loss of some information, whereas others will prefer unstitched whole charts.
Click to expand...

FlightGuide's Ipad app now has stitched and unstitched charts, hit the button to switch between them so you can get to the flap info.

After playing with FlightGuide, I'm switching from FOreFlight to Flightguide (at least for now).
Will advise of the pros and cons of each.
 
PilotAlan said:
FlightGuide's Ipad app now has stitched and unstitched charts, hit the button to switch between them so you can get to the flap info.

After playing with FlightGuide, I'm switching from FOreFlight to Flightguide (at least for now).
Will advise of the pros and cons of each.
Click to expand...

If you try AvCaddy EFB (we're currently giving free trials), please let us know your thoughts, especially with respect to other products you've tried. We appreciate all feedback from everyone. (We offer interactive unstitched charts among other things).

One thing we do not offer is WACs, and it would be interesting to gauge whether or not users value digital WACs in general, regardless of who is providing them.
 
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I hate that you can't get to the data on the edges of charts with stitched charts. Hate hate hate. Legends, MOA times/frequencies, etc. Haaaaaate. ;)

I think if I pay for a digital chart "subscription" I ought to be able to see the whole chart.

Same thing with stitching TACs over Sectionals. I want to be able to turn off the TAC layer and see the darn Sectional sometimes!
 
SkytrexSystems said:
If you try AvCaddy EFB (we're currently giving free trials), please let us know your thoughts, especially with respect to other products you've tried. We appreciate all feedback from everyone. (We offer interactive unstitched charts among other things).

One thing we do not offer is WACs, and it would be interesting to gauge whether or not users value digital WACs in general, regardless of who is providing them.
Click to expand...

I'll give it a shot.
I don't see the point of EFB WACs. WACs are great for covering large areas with minimal paper. But with an EFB, you can have the greater detail with no cost in space or paper, and zoom to the size you want for the speed of aircraft you are flying.

WACs have a place in analog (paper) world. I don't see their utility in a digital world.
 
denverpilot said:
I hate that you can't get to the data on the edges of charts with stitched charts. Hate hate hate. Legends, MOA times/frequencies, etc. Haaaaaate. ;)

I think if I pay for a digital chart "subscription" I ought to be able to see the whole chart.

Same thing with stitching TACs over Sectionals. I want to be able to turn off the TAC layer and see the darn Sectional sometimes!
Click to expand...

Initially we wanted to present 'seamless' charts but what we realized was that it is just about impossible to do it without sacrificing some accuracy at the edges. The MOAs, frequencies, legends, expiration dates etc. are one thing. The other is where terrain, text, symbols can get cut off or missing entirely at the edges where charts are joined in various places. Since we wanted to give pilots the means to have content which they can have complete confidence of using in lieu of paper while airborne, we decided to keep the charts in original form but focus on providing a good way of allowing a user to easily traverse adjacent charts in 1 or 2 taps at the most, including history buttons to flip back and forth.

Be that as it may, a user has a lot of choices now in what suits them personally in terms of software on iOS.
 
PilotAlan said:
FlightGuide's Ipad app now has stitched and unstitched charts, hit the button to switch between them so you can get to the flap info.

After playing with FlightGuide, I'm switching from FOreFlight to Flightguide (at least for now).
Will advise of the pros and cons of each.
Click to expand...

Aha, YOU were the guy who said you were switching! I went and found Flight Guide at OSH because of that.

I was largely unimpressed, especially with the airport info - the type was TINY, and even though you can zoom in on it, it seemed a little clunky to me.

The switching back and forth between stitched and unstitched is a great idea, though.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Aha, YOU were the guy who said you were switching! I went and found Flight Guide at OSH because of that.
I was largely unimpressed, especially with the airport info - the type was TINY, and even though you can zoom in on it, it seemed a little clunky to me.
The switching back and forth between stitched and unstitched is a great idea, though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the flightguide pages could be better. What I like was the seamless overlay of the Airport Guide onto the sectional, and the overlay of the approach plate onto the sectional.
I think both of those are serious innovations, and hope other get onboard. The situational awareness from both of those have strong potential.
 
Jay Honeck said:
LOL. Leave it to the gummint to not post a picture of a product they're trying to sell. Who designs this stuff for them?

I presume this is the big wall chart we see in so many FBOs?
Click to expand...
Jay;
At the FAA site, under digital products, you will find all kinds of stuff including the WACs, sectionals, and TACs. I presume they don't show pictures of them since you already know what you're buying.

WACs: http://aeronav.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=aeronav/applications/VFR/chartlist_wac

Digital products: http://aeronav.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=aeronav/applications
 
PilotAlan said:
I don't see the point of EFB WACs. WACs are great for covering large areas with minimal paper. But with an EFB, you can have the greater detail with no cost in space or paper, and zoom to the size you want for the speed of aircraft you are flying.

WACs have a place in analog (paper) world. I don't see their utility in a digital world.
Click to expand...
:yeahthat:
 
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