Since the FAA still hasn’t committed to producing aeronautical charts for the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Central and South America, time is running out for pilots who want government information.
As AOPA previously reported, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) will stop publishing Flight Information Publications (FLIP) and other popular charts in October. Since the FAA hasn’t yet picked up the slack, there will be no publicly available government source of aeronautical information for the Caribbean and Central and South America.
“The territories fall under what is known as the U.S. Flight Information Region and the FAA has a legal responsibility for providing the navigation products to ensure safety and efficiency,” said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs.
The existing NGA Caribbean chart is good until Oct. 25, so pilots who plan to fly to the Caribbean in October need to purchase the chart before Oct. 1.
The NGA, under the Department of Defense (DOD), announced in 2004 that it would stop selling the charts. AOPA, however, was able to convince the DOD to take public comments on the issue. Several hundred pilots were successful in getting the government to implement a phased approach for the discontinuance of en route charts, supplemental flight information, and instrument approach procedures.
Over the past two years, AOPA has continued to go to bat for pilots, advocating for a transition plan. Congress has also weighed in, but the FAA still refuses to act.
For more information, see AOPA's updated Air Traffic Services Brief.
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