Laminating charts??

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Queestce
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Laminating charts??

Postby Queestce » Tue Jun 22 2010, 05:23

Hey everyone,

I've just got my first charts, seems laminating them is definitely in order so I can draw all over them, but I wondered what you guys did to laminate yours? Surely you don't use double sided "thick" laminate as it needs to be foldable, is clear adhesive plastic the best option? Don't want to end up with bubbles everywhere!

Cheers,

Tk
SuperF
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby SuperF » Tue Jun 22 2010, 05:46

just do what everyone else does, get a road map and follow your GPS. :lol:
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby mja » Tue Jun 22 2010, 06:11

Q - Just go to the newsagent and get clear rolls of contact and use them. I have been doing this for years on both WAC and VTC. I actually still have my first VTC(s) from 1991 and use them all the time (always keeping the most recent amended non covered copy in the cockpit). The trick is ironing your map first to get the creases out of them, then be very careful, two person operation or heavy object on one end of the map to roll the contact over the map without screwing it up and leaving bubbles everywhere. Once you have it covered you can shape it to your knee pad or whatever you use to keep it stable, believe me, much harder in a chopper than a plane to keep your map secure!

I use chinagraph pencils for marking track (red) and for 10 or 20nm markers and black for times and CTA or FIA information that may be needed en-route. At the end of the flight it rubs off with your everyday standard 'eraser'. With the pencils you can scratch off the side and mark them with 10nm markers for diversions and easy ready reckoning on distance if required. Yes, SuperF has a good point, but GPS's fail and for no reason at all lose satelites! Also, if you are still training, you need to know how to navigate without a GPS, I found this fail safe and never got lost once! Good luck hope it works for you............. :cool_dc:
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Queestce
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby Queestce » Tue Jun 22 2010, 06:39

mja wrote:Q - Just go to the newsagent and get clear rolls of contact and use them. I have been doing this for years on both WAC and VTC. I actually still have my first VTC(s) from 1991 and use them all the time (always keeping the most recent amended non covered copy in the cockpit). The trick is ironing your map first to get the creases out of them, then be very careful, two person operation or heavy object on one end of the map to roll the contact over the map without screwing it up and leaving bubbles everywhere. Once you have it covered you can shape it to your knee pad or whatever you use to keep it stable, believe me, much harder in a chopper than a plane to keep your map secure!

I use chinagraph pencils for marking track (red) and for 10 or 20nm markers and black for times and CTA or FIA information that may be needed en-route. At the end of the flight it rubs off with your everyday standard 'eraser'. With the pencils you can scratch off the side and mark them with 10nm markers for diversions and easy ready reckoning on distance if required. Yes, SuperF has a good point, but GPS's fail and for no reason at all lose satelites! Also, if you are still training, you need to know how to navigate without a GPS, I found this fail safe and never got lost once! Good luck hope it works for you............. :cool_dc:


Cheers mate, all good advice. And yep, I am certianlly still training - hence them being my first maps :D Good tip on the pencils, will pick some of those and some contact up at a newsagent, or "whitcoulls" as the kiwis call them haha. Didn't think of the iron tip, good idea! Will have to get myself a kneebord too, noone at school really seems to use them, but they seem only positive to me.

Thanks again
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby SuperF » Tue Jun 22 2010, 09:12

i had never thought about ironing them... bugger that, i hardly iron my cloths :D .

You are all right, GPS's do loose satelites, you can also punch the wrong location in, and find out half way through your flight that you aren't quite where you thought you were.. :shock: has happened to me, heading off for frost control, somehow the vineyard had been changed for a nearby airport, about 50miles away. Heading off into the not quite setting sun, over tiger country, no roads, through rain and showers, pop out into a bit more civilsed land and start looking at very strange towns that aren't where they are supposed to be. got it figured out but if i had gone at night!!!

Also having a road map of where you are flying is actually a good idea in a helicopter, in NZ AA maps are pretty good, and free if you are a member. if you get really lost, land at a road intersection and figure out, or "confirm" where you are... Also good if you get weatherbound as at least you know where you are once on the ground. I guess that an iPhone with google maps would be good, but that means that you have to fly within coverage area, and you will learn when flying in NZ that cell coverage isn't that good all around the country, especially when you land.

Good luck keeping your maps organised in a helicopter cockpit. iphone again i guess, maybe an iPad would work best.. :D i knew i needed one
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Queestce
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby Queestce » Tue Jun 22 2010, 11:06

SuperF wrote: Good luck keeping your maps organised in a helicopter cockpit. iphone again i guess, maybe an iPad would work best.. :D i knew i needed one


Any excuse will do :lol:

Mabey some sort of iPad/kneeboard hybrid even. Have got the trusty iPhone myself, but as you said coverage where I will need charts probably isn't going to be the best... Hadn't thought of the AA idea, a good point. Back in Aus the old refidex has certianlly saved me when riding motorbikes in the hills and loosing my way before. I don't have AA coverage... but my flatmate does 8) Will look into getting some through her.
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby harold » Wed Jun 23 2010, 00:56

Queestce,

A very good way to protect your charts is to go a newsagency and purchase a liquid water proofing agent. (Australia Geographic used to sell it on line). You spread your chart out and 'paint' it in the solution and when it dries, it is waterproof and you can write on it and rub it out too. The beauty of this over 'contact' is that the chart can be folded easily without bubbling on the folds. Also quite cheap and easy and as the charts are updated, the fix is simple and quick.
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Queestce
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby Queestce » Thu Jun 24 2010, 07:19

harold wrote:Queestce,

A very good way to protect your charts is to go a newsagency and purchase a liquid water proofing agent. (Australia Geographic used to sell it on line). You spread your chart out and 'paint' it in the solution and when it dries, it is waterproof and you can write on it and rub it out too. The beauty of this over 'contact' is that the chart can be folded easily without bubbling on the folds. Also quite cheap and easy and as the charts are updated, the fix is simple and quick.


Dam, read that too late Harold! Had just bought contact. Haven't put it on yet, am waiting till I have some spare hours so I can do a good job :lol:

Will keep that in mind for new charts/the VPC tho.

Tom
Kieran
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby Kieran » Thu Jun 24 2010, 07:37

The waterproofing sounds like a good idea, i hadn't thought about it before. Do you remember what the waterproofing agent is called? tried googling but not much success...

cheers kiearn
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby SuperF » Thu Jun 24 2010, 07:57

hi harold, you must be one of the old guys on here. its the old guys that know all the good little tricks that they don't tell you at flight school. :wink:

especially here in NZ, because few of the instructors have been around long enough to have learnt the old tricks. I guess that you have to make sure you get a clear water proofing liquid, not gonna be much good if its black. :lol: If you know the name of the stuff would be great, i would love to use it on our charts here.
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby skypig » Thu Jun 24 2010, 10:23

Lot’s of the charts go out of date before they wear out. When I was flying EMS I got some topo maps and carefully drew all the airspace lines on them (these lined up with the GPS, and assisted with locating remote scenes). I took them to a commercial laminator and he laminated them in a very thin grade of laminate. I could still fold them reasonably well. Another option.
I’m considering getting Air Map VFR. It seems a powerful flight planner and has up to date maps included (for a price). I’m not certain of the practicality of printing out the appropriate maps – could be an excuse for an A3 printer. (See the relevance? Maps!)


Sky Image Pig (get the relevence before my next post)
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helothere
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby helothere » Thu Jun 24 2010, 11:15

Nice. All hail him...

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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby black duck » Thu Jun 24 2010, 14:46

If you look at your screen up side down, it's 666 NOWIS :shock: It's like playing Lead Zeplin backwards!! :shock: :shock: (or was that Deep Purple ?) :? What will his next post be ?????????? :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
"It's wabbit seathon! It' duck seathon! I dare you to shoot me now!"
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby harold » Fri Jun 25 2010, 00:55

The stuff is called Map Seal.....would appear it is no longer available through Australian Geographic but is available here!
http://www.aquaseal.com/map-seal.html
Especially good for charts that are likely to be used for ages such as WAC Charts.
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Re: Laminating charts??

Postby Pegs » Fri Jun 25 2010, 04:14

Sky Pig I loved it! Nicely Done :wink:

BD I was left to wonder what on earth you where doing looking at your screen upside down :o then recalled that about the time you posted that comment you would be landing via Qantas in Perth and that may have had something to do with the upside down status???? :shock: :? :?:
A good idea needs landing gear as well as wings to get off the ground.

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