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Old January 3rd 08, 06:38 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting
B A R R Y[_2_]
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Posts: 782
Default Student Pilot Bought An Electronic Flight Computer For $80

Edwin Johnson wrote:

Wind correction problems for cross country, for example, would be a toss,
other than increased precision in headings, etc. It may be easier to spot
errors in entry in the E6B since once you push a wrong button on the
elctronic, that error disappears and you must back track, if you even
detected the error.


That's not true in many cases. Lots of (maybe all?) electronic E6B's
have 5-6 lines of display, showing all of the input criteria
simultaneously. Hitting the enter key toggles from field to field.
There is no reason to start over.

I have E6B's with and without batteries, and the circular version is
just fine for PP training. Both versions require some initial
familiarity to use.

However, the electronic version can be far faster for the more advanced
written tests, such as the flight planning portions preparing for the
IR. Some versions retain all the inputs and allow one change at a time
for repetitive calculations.

My advice is if the OP really wants an electronic version, try to find a
1/2 price example on eBay. Chances are, it'll have less than one set of
batteries through it.

Outside of "required" E6B use, I've usually found the flight planning
features on DUATS to be plenty usable, and FREE! During my instrument
training, the same DUATS printouts I use for every flight were perfectly
acceptable to my instructors and the DE. I only used an E6B, of any
kind, while studying for and taking tests.