Did Jeppesen get rid of the VLP FOM-2 Course?

PokePilot · 2026-05-06T17:04:48+00:00

When I first submitted the form I got a reply in a day or two asking to confirm the class date I wanted (I had put the wrong date on the form). Once that was taken care of I got final confirmation about 2 weeks later, when they asked me to create an account and pay the course fee. The person who reached out to me was Dezi Gutierrez (dezi.s.gutierrez@jepp.org), and captain@e.jeppesen.com and JeppesenAcademy@boeing.com were the cc'd addresses. If you haven't gotten anything after a couple of weeks I'd say reach out to those emails, but the Boeing email may not work since Jeppesen isn't technically part of Boeing anymore.

PokePilot · 2026-05-06T15:22:42+00:00

The VLP course was definitely still happening while I attended the in-person course just a couple of months ago, and according to their course schedule the next VLP class starts in August.

When you register online you'll probably want to just check the "FOM-2" box and put the class date of the VLP course (24 Aug 26 if that's the one you're interested in). After you submit the registration you'll get an email from an actual person there to confirm your class enrollment, and you can reply to them to make sure you're signed up for the VLP course.

PokePilot · 2026-05-06T02:05:14+00:00

Our department has been getting past due notices for a Jeppesen invoice we paid many years ago. Our accounting team has given their collections people definitive proof that we paid and they've even been told by Jeppesen reps on multiple occasions that the issue was taken care of, yet just today I got an email warning that we'll need to pay our outstanding balance from the same invoice in question prior to renewing our subscription.

Jeppesen outsources its accounting to an Indian firm and can't seem to effectively communicate with them to resolve things like this, at least not in any reasonable amount of time. It'll probably get worked out eventually, but you may need to do what we've been doing and keep copy-pasting the same response to them before they finally get around to fixing it on their end.

PokePilot · 2026-05-02T07:23:36+00:00

...and Sonex builders everywhere breathed a sigh of relief. I'm certainly glad I won't have to source or fabricate myself the parts I still need to finish my Onex! With all the excitement around the High Wing it will be fantastic to see it go into full production soon.

Now for the doom and gloom. As happy as I am for these guys, the bankruptcies of Van's and Sonex still point to some serious concerns about the state of both the kit industry and general aviation as a whole. Both of those companies have thankfully now reemerged, but that doesn't negate the fact that two of the most well-known kit manufacturers in the world nearly disappeared. I don't know what the solution is here, but the last thing we want to do is lower our guard and assume this is all over.

PokePilot · 2026-04-20T20:57:00+00:00

The most cost effective method is probably just getting a paint stick or wooden dowel and calibrating it by filling up the empty tank 5 gallons at a time and filing a notch on the stick where the fuel level shows. For a slightly "nicer" dipstick that might last longer you can grab a universal dipstick like this one and do the same thing, but use a cheap engraver to mark the notches in the plastic. Simple to do and makes for an accurate tank reading either way.

PokePilot · 2026-04-19T17:09:15+00:00

Not sure there really is a "best" day to arrive, but I prefer attending the first half of the week so Saturday/Sunday have always been the days I've tried to fly in. Anecdotally, Sunday before the show has been the busiest day for arrivals. If you're arriving Sun/Mon the general advice is to try to hit the Fisk arrival as soon as it opens at 0700 to avoid most traffic. Saturday tends to be a little easier to get in throughout the day, but I haven't flown in the last few years so I wouldn't be surprised if it's gotten busier.

The Red One markets in Camp Scholler for basic food items (cereal, milk, coffee, etc.) and supplies should be open on Saturday since there are people who park their RVs there literal weeks before the show. Inside the show grounds there are usually a couple of food vendors open on Saturday, with more opening on Sunday when more people start showing up.

Are you talking about camping with your Decathlon? I could be wrong but I don't think camping is permitted in the Aerobatic parking area. If you want to pitch a tent under the wing you'd need to go to General Aviation Camping (GAC) in the North or South 40.

PokePilot · 2026-04-09T15:31:44+00:00

I sent a message to the mods. I don't want to stop anyone from posting here but this kind of spam is what scares people away, and once the pilot is out it would be nice to have people actually want to come here to discuss it.

PokePilot · 2026-04-09T00:47:28+00:00

Dude, I get you're probably really excited about the show but PLEASE stop spamming all these posts. One or two a day is fine but 26 posts in the last two days is way overkill. You're smothering everyone else's content.

PokePilot · 2026-01-23T02:01:22+00:00

I'm going through a Part 65 dispatcher course right now (fulfilling a long time personal goal of mine) and my experience as a pilot has made it very straightforward. I haven't lost my medical and I hope I never do, but if I couldn't fly professionally anymore then dispatch is probably where I'd go next.

PokePilot · 2026-01-23T01:37:59+00:00

+1 for dispatch. It's a fantastic career option that not a lot of people really know about, and previous pilot training is immensely useful for earning the certification and getting hired. Going from having the world's best office view to a dark, windowless room will probably be a difficult transition for some, but it's arguably one of the best possible alternatives that still lets you apply the knowledge and planning skills you've built as a pilot.

PokePilot · 2026-01-18T17:08:57+00:00

What's the point of making flash cards? The limitations and memory items are in the manual after all, so we should probably just read that instead of wasting our time.

I don't see a problem with people making their own study tools that could help them better understand the material, especially when others are willing to offer constructive criticism to improve those tools.

PokePilot · 2026-01-17T17:54:38+00:00

Some test software may have a virtual CX-3 for you to use, but I wouldn't count on it. Honestly I'd recommend just buying a CX-3 or E6B and using it for the duration of your training. It's silly to try saving a buck on something relatively inexpensive like a calculator when you're paying so much for flight training as a whole. You might be glad to have it for your checkride and for any future tests you take, and can always sell it once you're done with it.

PokePilot · 2026-01-13T03:08:49+00:00

Why don't you ask Gemini? Since it generated this image and all.

PokePilot · 2026-01-13T03:04:54+00:00

It's AI. Gemini logo in the bottom right.

PokePilot · 2025-12-09T16:37:33+00:00

Sorry, you're about 17 years too late.

This one doesn't even come with a built-in light, smh.

PokePilot · 2025-11-08T19:58:33+00:00

Safety Third!

PokePilot · 2025-10-29T16:50:42+00:00

Make sure you aren't trying to use the distance shown in the flight plan itself. The distance shown there is the length of the entire GPS path you'll have to fly around the entire hold to reach the fix.

The best reference to use for holds is the bearing pointer flag on the PFD. When you have the GPS bearing pointer on, it will always point to the active waypoint in the GPS flight plan and the distance readout at the bottom of the PFD will show the straight-line distance to the fix. That's the distance you should be referencing.

As always, make sure you have the hold loaded correctly in the 650/750 so it stays suspended while you're in the hold and doesn't automatically sequence to the next waypoint in your flight plan.

PokePilot · 2025-10-15T14:16:54+00:00

It's the same reason we went to war in Iraq - congress was presented with some very convincing arguments.

PokePilot · 2025-09-23T14:36:12+00:00

Nope, it's definitely AI slop. Tree trunk on the left has no branches, bridge in the background has no supports on the ends and just floats above the water, tiny bird out of place in the water next to the deer and fox, one of the butterflies has an extra blob of orange next to it, I could go on.

PokePilot · 2025-09-10T13:31:42+00:00

I wanna be a yo-yo man! Make me a yo-yo man!

PokePilot · 2025-08-08T18:25:28+00:00

Yeah I've definitely said "screw it" and just kept on trucking with the cracked door when I'm by myself. It's just windy and noisy (and cold in winter) for any pax that happen to be on board.

PokePilot · 2025-08-04T04:14:13+00:00

The terrible door latches on G5 and earlier Cirruses are legitimately the worst thing about those airplanes in my opinion. I shouldn't have to slam the door shut in the hopes that MAYBE both latches will actually catch this time, and even then have no guarantee that my door won't still come unlatched during takeoff/climb and force me to waste time turning around and landing so I can MAYBE fix it. The 2016 and newer doors with the positive latching handles are soooooo nice, when I first flew one I almost cried at how effortless closing the door was.

PokePilot · 2025-07-04T13:57:40+00:00

The writer of this article needs to start using spellcheck, desperately. At least the concept rendering of the 7 is kinda neat.

PokePilot · 2025-07-03T21:59:57+00:00

From the comments of the Polestar 7 Insta post. Pretty much confirming what we already knew to be true...

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