Flight Computers - which one?

[mattpilot]

GUYS.... I GOT a wizwheel! I know how to use it and its quite easy!

I have no desire to use an electronic one on a knowledge test either. I'm looking for something practical that i can use in real world flying. Something to make W/B calcs faster.. (and does other neat stuff ).

I want something smaller than a manual E6B, and that replaces my calculator. No need to carry both.


The basic question is - which Electronic E6B is better and has more features applicable to real world flying?!

Forget knowledge tests and forget the manual E6B! So..... can anyone help with some useful input now?

Thank you

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

GUYS.... I GOT a wizwheel! I know how to use it and its quite easy!

I have no desire to use an electronic one on a knowledge test either. I'm looking for something practical that i can use in real world flying. Something to make W/B calcs faster.. (and does other neat stuff ).

I want something smaller than a manual E6B, and that replaces my calculator. No need to carry both.


The basic question is - which Electronic E6B is better and has more features applicable to real world flying?!

Forget knowledge tests and forget the manual E6B! So..... can anyone help with some useful input now?

Thank you

I am unaware as to how an electronic E6B would be much help on a W/B. Can you program it to have your aircraft specific data in it like you can with a palm pilot?

Like many are saying, I do not see where an electronic e6b helps in real world flying. Just my opinion, but once I got out of the training and instructing enviroment and started doing real world flying, I have never had the need for an electronic E6B. Now a palm with all your airplanes W/B data in it makes things much faster than taking pen to paper. But unless you can print it out on the spot, it is not much good except for part 91 stuff anyhow, since 135 must have paper records normally, and 121 has the info on the release.

 

[mattpilot]

I am unaware as to how an electronic E6B would be much help on a W/B. Can you program it to have your aircraft specific data in it like you can with a palm pilot?

Thats stuff i'm trying to find out.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I want something smaller than a manual E6B, and that replaces my calculator. No need to carry both.


The basic question is - which Electronic E6B is better and has more features applicable to real world flying?!

How about a "real world flying example" of how you will use it. My answer will =still= be a PDA with E6B and/or flight planning software. Far more functionally and it will cost less if you stick to the basic PDA functionality.

If you really want to waste your money on a dedicated E-E6B, the only thing to really watch out for are the old Sporty models that used AA or AAA batteries instead of lithium ones. It had an timer that kept using battery power. When you pull it out every couple of months, you'll find that the batteries have gone dead.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I am unaware as to how an electronic E6B would be much help on a W/B. Can you program it to have your aircraft specific data in it like you can with a palm pilot?

That's part of the problem. The E-E6Bs (I'm familiar with the Sporty but they are pretty much alike) can do weight and balance calculations. But remember that they are primarily designed to be legal for the knowledge test. That means that there are serious limits on the information you can store in it. In your W&B example, no, you can't program it to keep your airplane's numbers. On the other hand, my PDA can keep them for all of the airplanes I fly.

 

[Illini Pilot]

I have the ASA one and you CAN store (i think up to 5) aircraft specific numbers in the W&B part, you can input any two of the three of Weight, Arm and Moment, and then also set how many different stations you want (even negative ones for fuel burn and moment shift due to gear retraction)

 

[mattpilot]

thanks Illini ... would you recommend the ASA one?

Is it useful?

 

[flyer172r]

For those that use the PDA E6B programs, what is the program called and how did you get it?

 

[Lead Sled]

For what it's worth, I'm of the opinion that you'd be better off with the cheapest one you can find - once you're finished taking the various writtens it will most likely be put in your flight bag and forgotten. I guess that's not entirely true - I actually have a whiz wheel that I keep in my "oceanic bag" along with various and sundry navigational tools that I'm obliged to carry during oceanic crossings. (You never know when you're going to have both a triple simultaneous nav failure along with a failure of the backup handheld GPS.)

Seriously though, if you go with a battery powered unit, try and find one that uses alkaline batteries and carry some spare batteries. Alkalines have a shelf life measured in years; nicads start losing their charge the moment you remove them from the charger. This advise is especially important if you're shopping for a handheld com or nav/com radio.

'Sled

 

[Vector4fun]

Some of you new guys make this all sound so complicated.

My Skyhawk carries me, the wife, and all the bags that fit,

Or three normal adults,

Or four adults and half fuel.

Unless I have a fuel leak, it runs for 4+30 hours on full tanks, which I never test because I have a 3 hr bladder, max.

It flies 100 kts mas o menos

Anybody who got thru 9th grade can figure those numbers in their head.

(JAFI, you didn't see this.... )