On Mar 13, 6:28 pm, "Andrew Sarangan" wrote:

So what are your thoughts on this? Is the ability to compute a flight
by hand really important? Are there important aspects I am
overlooking?

Manual computation of flight planning is a vital fundamental IMHO.
Notes scribbled on a piece of paper and a line on a map can't run out
of batteries, crash, or become unserviceable mid flight. They lend
themselves to be modified in flight with only minor fuss.

The new flashy PC/net/GPS based toys are great, and for the most part
do a great job, but at the end of the day its my life I am gambling
with and I always use my electronic nav aids as an aid, not a
crutch. Thats something which we are seeing more and more often when
low time pilots (like me) hit the Direct-To on their GPS, cut in the
autopilot and cause no end of mayhem in the process.