JEPCO KNE - NAV KN - 3 ( pilot's flight kneeboard )

The company was founded in 1934, by Elrey Borge Jeppesen ( 1907 - 1996 ), a pilot working for Varney Air Lines, who was the first to make aeronautical charts for pilots to navigate in flight. The information that he collected and the charts that he drew were at first only for personal use, but fellow pilots quickly saw the benefits of using these charts and he started selling copies of his chart book for $10. Other pilots started to collect data on their own routes and handing this to Elrey B. Jeppesen for him to include in his navigation book. His wife, former Flight Attendant Nadine A. Jeppesen ( born Liscomb, 1914 - 1996 ), was also important to the company's early years. 

The airline for which Elrey B. Jeppesen worked in the late 1930s, after Varney Air Lines, had merged with several other companies to form United Airlines, was one of the first airlines to start using his charts. After a while, the chart business started taking up so much of Elrey B. Jeppesen's time that he quit his job as a Captain and focused his energy on making charts. 

In 1941, he moved the company from Salt Lake City ( Utah, United States ) to Denver ( Colorado, United States ). In 1947, Elrey B. Jeppesen and the Civil Aeronautics Administration ( C.A.A. ) collaborated to introduce standard instrument approach procedures and to establish the National Flight Data Centre. Ten years later, the company expanded to Europe by opening an office in Frankfurt am Main ( present - day Hesse, Germany ) to provide services to customers in Europe and beyond. 

In 1961, Elrey B. Jeppesen sold his company, staying on as Chairman. It was purchased by the Times - Mirror Company ( parent company of the Los Angeles Times ). In 1973, Jeppesen NavData® was first used commercially in Flight Management Computer Guidance Systems ( F.M.C.G.S. ). A year later, the company entered the flight training business when Times - Mirror merged it with Sanderson Films. 

During the 1980s, Jeppesen began a series of acquisitions that added to its product and service offerings. Between 1990 and 1995, Jeppesen expanded globally by opening offices in Australia and China to serve customers in the Asia - Pacific region, and continued to expand through acquisitions. On November 26th, 1996, Elrey B. Jeppesen passed away at the age of 89. The same year, the company introduced JeppView, which provided a complete, worldwide library of terminal aeronautical charts on CD - ROM. 

The 2000s saw increased efforts from Jeppesen to expand through new acquisitions, introducing new means of navigation and charts as well. In 2017, Jeppesen announced an alliance with ForeFlight, to integrate electronic Jeppesen charts with ForeFlight Mobile, a leading electronic flight bag application. Following a successful two - year partnership, Boeing aqcuired ForeFlight to further enhance its portfolio of digital services ( 2019 ).  This acquisition aligned with Boeing’s growth strategy of complementing organic investments with targeted, strategic investments that position the company for long - term growth. 

( sources : Wikipedia, ww2.jeppesen.com )