SkyVector.com, a website that displays free online aviation charts, now provides worldwide VFR and IFR charts. The charts, still officially in beta, are described in more detail here.
The charts are part of set of new features that include expanded display of weather. The developer promises better flight planning and other improvements soon.
The latest edition of the FAA SatNavNews includes a discussion* of the agency’s plans to shut down many VORs as the aviation world shifts to GPS-based navigation. The article, on pages 5-8 of the Summer 2012 issue (PDF), includes graphics that show how shutting down many of the VORs in the eastern two-thirds of the continental U.S. will change the existing airway system.
*As noted in the newsletter:
The following is an abridged version of the information paper on the Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Minimum Operational Network (MON) presented by the United States in May 2012 at a meeting of the Navigation Systems Panel of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada.
I gave an aerobatic ride out of KBFI yesterday in Seattle to one of the Seafair boosters.
It was a spectacular day to fly, and this hop gave me a chance to test a cable/adapter that feeds cockpit audio to my GoPro. (As you’ll see, my passenger brought his own GoPro.) The cable should work with any device that has a 3.5mm audio input, making it a handy accessory if you want to record cockpit audio.
If you use a GoPro, you may want to get the “skeleton housing,” which has openings in the sides that allow easy connections to the audio input, USB, and other ports. You can also remove and insert SD cards without opening the case.
BruceAir, LLC 