Store frequently used instrument approach charts in AOPA's Airport Directory Online

Store frequently used instrument approach charts in AOPA's Airport Directory Online

Imagine having a personal assistant who would store your most-used instrument approach charts for you in a handy location, have them ready for you at a moment's notice, and automatically update them with any chart changes.

You might have to pay a hefty fee for such an assistant, but AOPA members can get the same service for free from AOPA's Airport Directory Online. You can store U.S. Terminal Procedures for up to 100 airports in the My Procedures area of the online directory and then download and print these charts whenever you need them for a flight.

The online U.S. Terminal Procedures include all instrument approach charts, airport diagrams, standard terminal arrival charts, departure procedures, takeoff minimums, and alternate minimums and are automatically updated on the FAA National Aeronautical Charting Office (NACO) 28-day charting cycle. The directory will identify which charts, including those at your stored "favorite" airports, have been added, changed, or deleted since the last 28-day chart revision.

How does it work? Enter the identifier of an airport you often fly to in the Quick Search section of the online directory to pull up that airport's information. The U.S. Terminal Procedures link will be located in the top right corner of the information page. Just select the link, and all instrument procedures for that airport will appear. Now click on the link that adds the airport identifier and its procedures to your My Procedures list, and you're done. You have just created your personal "favorites" list. If you frequently fly IFR and want to download approaches for several airports, see the U.S. Terminal Procedures section of the online directory. Simply enter the airport identifier and add the approaches to your personal stored procedures.

Once your My Procedures section is filled with your most-used instrument approach charts, you easily can pull them up and print them, either from the link at the top of the online directory page or from the Airport Directory fly-out menu on the left of AOPA's home page. And, a bonus, you can now quickly find and call up your favorite airports since links to the airport data are conveniently stored in the My Procedures list.

June 20, 2005