VFR omissions – most importantly correct nomenclature of VRPs
Peter_Mundy wrote:
most importantly correct nomenclature of VRPs
I really can´t say for other countries but FF has correct nomenclature of all VRPs and it´s absolutely usable for VFR flying. I don´t fly much VFR abroad and locally I can fly VFR without any tool because Croatia is so easy for visual orientation that you simply can´t fail. However, I always take the opportunity to check maps, VRPs, airspace designators, zones, frequencies, etc. and everything seems to be correct.
What else is missing in FF for VFR flying?
Emir wrote:
FF has correct nomenclature of all VRPs
However, interchange of the active flightplan with Garmin navigators (e.g. GTN units) does not work well with VRPs (nor when changes are made to a SID/STAR for that matter).
lionel wrote:
However, interchange of the active flightplan with Garmin navigators (e.g. GTN units) does not work well with VRPs (nor when changes are made to a SID/STAR for that matter).
Because there is no international standard for them … I am quite ok with the FF method to designate generic FF names to them, but it seems awkward at first.
Emir wrote:
I really can´t say for other countries but FF has correct nomenclature of all VRPs and it´s absolutely usable for VFR flying.
That’s my experience too.
lionel wrote:
However, interchange of the active flightplan with Garmin navigators (e.g. GTN units) does not work well with VRPs
Interesting. FF FPL exchange works quite well with my Avidyne IFD. The “tricky” part is more the necessary Jeppesen name mapping to VPxxx which makes reverse mapping difficult. VFR waypoint names are all over the map, from the classic N, W, S, E, NW, SW, etc to ca 15-20 char place names often used in Italy (although that has improved recently by adding 4-letter ids too).
MichaLSA wrote:
Because there is no international standard for them … I am quite ok with the FF method to designate generic FF names to them, but it seems awkward at first.
The Garmin nav databases are made by Jeppesen so Jeppesen decides on the VRP identifiers used by the Garmin navigators. Jeppesen also owns FF. It’s really surprising if the identifiers FF uses don’t match with the identifiers used in the nav databases.
Airborne_Again wrote:
It’s really surprising if the identifiers FF uses don’t match with the identifiers used in the nav databases.
They do. The VFR waypoint names are shown on the map. If one touches the map at a VFR waypoint location, the pop-up window waypoint is the VPxxx name and this is the same Jeppesen id used in the avionics navdata. The detail button then shows the fully VFR name too to confirm that the desired waypoint.
Airborne_Again wrote:
Jeppesen also owns FF. It’s really surprising if the identifiers FF uses don’t match with the identifiers used in the nav databases.
Jeppesen does not own ForeFlight. Both companies are owned by Boeing and are sister companies. Jeppesen is not in the ForeFlight management reporting hierarchy. ForeFlight uses Jeppesen Navdata and had this arrangement prior to Boeing purchasing ForeFlight.
lionel wrote:
However, interchange of the active flightplan with Garmin navigators (e.g. GTN units) does not work well with VRPs (nor when changes are made to a SID/STAR for that matter).
The Garmin panels exchange procedures using a specific syntax and specified in the database. If you edit the procedure, it is no longer recognized by the Garmin Panel. In the Americas, Garmin provides its own database offering and a Jeppesen offering. There are differences between the Jeppesen and Garmin offerings, mostly seen with SIDs. In many of the SIDs, the runway is not specified in the Jeppesen version, but is required to be specified in the Garmin version. For the most part, the panel units require a transition to be defined, so if you attempt to load a SID or STAR without using a transition, the panel will reject it, but ATC often clears an aircraft via the SID or STAR without a transition, IOW at the first common fix for a STAR, or the last common fix for a SID. ForeFlight allows this, the panel does not. To transfer one of these procedures to the panel, one needs to send a full unedited procedure to the panel, then edit it on the panel since the edited version won’t be accepted when loaded into the panel. Usually, but not always, the procedure can be entered on the panel, and then downloaded to ForeFlight in its edited form.
VRPs in Europe have a long history – example – and are designed to keep the country’s airspace pure by keeping unwashed foreigners out. IMHO the IR (which is almost never used for flying in IMC) is worth getting just so you can avoid having to find VRPs for the rest of your life 
When I got my plane, I chose the King option (KLN94+KMD550) largely because the KMD550 displayed VRPs. Later I regretted that because the 2×GNS430 alternative would have given me an upgrade to GNS430W / IFD440W, but only a little because none of those are any good for VFR.
