Canadian Electronic Charts and Airport information

[dirtdr]

Sorry. No sarcasm... Meant to paste in the link... Thanks...

Just on a ipad right now and cant seem to find any real content in the EAD site...

Is it just Europe?

[Meisje]

NAV CANADA collects their data from stakeholders all over Canada and data input it into the Nav Canada system in Ottawa. They collect this data on behalf of TC, the data is not given by TC. Data Collections contact information is avail in the CFS etc. The system is real-time updating the EAD, which is the European AIS Database due to reciprical agreements btwn Nav Canada and Eurocontrol.. So if you want data, just go onto the Eurocontrol EAD website and get EAD Basic. If you want full access you need to have a contract with Eurocontrol.

https://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/publicu ... /login.jsp

Its free registration and you just need to make a login to get into the system and see if whats there meets your needs.

[AirFrame]

Okay, i've registered with EADS, and looked through the available data... But I can't find anything for Canada. Care to give some pointers through the application that might help? I'm using the "HTML" application, not the Java one.

[Tips Up]

You can get Canadian data from the EAD. If you want the free (limited) data/functionality, log on for EAD Basic. For a small fee, you can get access to downloads based on AIRAC dates (or more often if wanted) that you can upload directly into your program as long as it is AIXM 4.5 compatible.

Please forgive my ignorance... What is the EAD? Do you have a link?

Oh please ... by that definition all costs are a burden, and everything should be free ... boohoo ... if paying 20$ for charts is a burden, you got bigger problems ...

I would happily pay $20 for charts. In fact, I do, I pay just under $20 every time there is a new VNC or VTA in BC or AB. What I want is electronic charts as well. But I can't get them for $20, even though the incremental cost to get them to me is close to zero. My *only* option for electronic Canadian charts right now, is to buy an iPad ($500-1000), and a subscription to Foreflight and the Canadian charts ($225/yr).

It's excessive, and unnecessary.

I would agree for the straight Vfr pilot who flies 20 hrs a yr that this may be true. But if you fly more than that or any IFR, just over $200 a yr for continuous up to date Vfr and IFR charts, flight planning, weather, and as an additional moving map in the cockpit that foreflight is a very reasonable deal. Especially considering any of the other costs of owing or flying a plane. If you want excessive and unnecessary, let's talk about staying current with cessna ad's.......

[Meisje]

Go into SDO Reporting and generate a report based on the data you need. It returns in tabular form. Its all in how you request the report for what data you get. If you need help for the reporting, go to the Eurocontrol website and go under training and select EAD training and there is an online tutorial on how to use sDO Reporting (SDO Data User).

For an AIXM download you have to have an agreement with Eurocontrol and pay a fee. You can do one-time downloads or repeats based on AIRAC dates or your own schedule. So if your app is free, but makes money from advertising, the downloads may be the way to go.

You also need the advanced login, not the simple login.

[sky_hi]

"I would like something I could could send to my MP or pertinent minister, in regards to the what some may consider out of line costs associated with a" not for profit business. "

What not for profit business??

"and other associated costs that burden the general Aviation sector."

Oh please ... by that definition all costs are a burden, and everything should be free ... boohoo ... if paying 20$ for charts is a burden, you got bigger problems ...

As someone said, you can't compare to the us, different market, different realities, different economics, different prices.

If you're so eager to compare ... how about comparing with Europe?

Or China, they barely have any GA at all ... Things don't look so bad now do they?

No I don't believe it should be free... But for someone who has all Android computers in his home I am dismayed when I contact garmin pilot and they state unequivocally that Canadian electronic charts are way overpriced so they refuse to carry them. So I would have to buy a apple product on top of Forflight on top of charts.
It's the fact that nav canada proudly advertise that they are a not for profit corporation, and no one wants to buy their charts except Forflight because of excessive cost.

That irks me.

[AirFrame]

Go into SDO Reporting and generate a report based on the data you need. It returns in tabular form. Its all in how you request the report for what data you get. If you need help for the reporting, go to the Eurocontrol website and go under training and select EAD training and there is an online tutorial on how to use sDO Reporting (SDO Data User).

Well, after playing with this again I have to say that this is an abysmally bad application. It required that I install a Java runtime that was 6 major versions old (1.62, when Java is currently at 7.xx). That didn't work, but once it was installed I did get the option to let the website try to load anyway. It loaded, but took ages to do anything. If it reflects the state of technology in the European Union for aviation, I weep for you. Someone over there must know how to update this. It's not doing anything more complicated than retrieving data from a database, there's no reason why a modern Java interpreter can't run it.

In the end I was able to retrieve airport data, but it's not in a really useful format. You would have to parse it from the website into a data file, and then write your own program to display it. It's not clear that even a small portion of the Canadian CFS is available. And there are no charts at all, unless i'm really missing something.

[Meisje]

Yeah, the application is not user friendly, I agree, but someone asked where free data was available, and the data is there. You really do need to be able to use the application to get it. There is the online tutorial or you can go to Germany and take the class that teaches you how to use it.
Charts will be available when Canada starts producing an international standard AIP, where they are then able to be viewed in the PAMS application. You can see AIPs there from other countries as an example.

[AirFrame]

Thanks Meisje. I suspect you'll never see Canadian Charts on the site... NavCanada would need to produce them, and they won't release them to a system that is freely available.

[Meisje]

http://www.frequentis.com/en/no_cache/u ... uid%5D=216

Here is some info on why Canadian data is available in the European system, just out of interest. You can also google it.

[Meisje]

Here is a link showing NAV CANADA maintains the data in EAD directly themselves

http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadcms/e ... dwide.html

SDO is static data

[Meisje]

Yeah, I couldn't find any free access for Canadian charts. They are not in the PAMS application for Canada. Who knows if they ever will. But the static data is there if anyone really wants to have to learn the complicated software, and then if the data in tabular form is of any use to what one needs. Oh well, it is what it is...