Whats best? Manual E6B or Electronic?

Hi all

Whats best for simplicity and price? The Metal/Plastic E6B or the
electronic one?

I'm the navigator on my dad's flights

Thanks

Nigel Reeves

Hi all

Whats best for simplicity and price? The Metal/Plastic E6B or the
electronic one?


Nigel Reeves

The plastic/metal one will be more fun, always work and let you see
how the solution to drift and time calculations arise. It will also
develop your skills in navigation. You will be developing the skills
that all the great aviators used when they made pioneering flights.
Electronic calculators are boring. By the way, in NZ we are not
allowed to use electronic calculators for our piloting exams ! I think
its great that your dad is trusting your skills in navigation to help
him fly cross country.

Cheers Mark.

Rule 1: ALWAYS TRUST YOUR GPS (IF YOU HAVE ONE). The same rule applies
out here in South Africa, But it is always useful to know.

Thanks

Nigel Reeves

wrote:
Hi all

Whats best for simplicity and price? The Metal/Plastic E6B or the
electronic one?

I have and use both.

I enjoy using the metal version for wind problems, as it's kind of fun.
The calculator is my preference for W/B, rate of climb or descent, and
density altitude calculations, and general flight planning away from a
computer. The calculator is my hands-down favorite for tests.

Nowadays, I do most of my actual time / fuel / distance planning right
in DUATS or the AOPA planner. I have GPS and DME available in the
airplane, so I don't use an E6B much in flight, as I can easily compare
estimated conditions to actual with no calculations.

Bottom line? The electronic version rides in my bag and the metal one
is on my desk at home.

wrote:

Whats best for simplicity and price? The Metal/Plastic E6B or the
electronic one?

If you can only get one, I would recommend a small metal E6B (e.g.
http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/523).

The electronic version is much easier to use, but the metal one always
works. It's unlikely it will ever break and it's batteries will never
run down. Additionally, for some problems, you get a better idea of
what's going on with a mechanical version.

The mechanical versions run about US$25 for a decent one (there are
cheaper ones, but don't waste your money).

The electronic versions run about US$75 for a good one. And if you're
going to spend the money on an electronic version, spend it on a good
one that you'll be happy with.

The electronic version will also be more accurate, but don't let that
fool you. It won't make your flight any more accurate. Factors like
inaccurate winds aloft forecasts or measuring error when laying out your
course on the sectional add a lot more error than the small amount of
error you will get from trying to read between the marks on the E6B. So
don't let that be a factor in your decision making.


-m
--
## Mark T. Dame
## CP-ASEL-IA, CFI-A, AGI
## insert tail number here
## KHAO, KISZ
"Software Independent: Won't work with any software."

On Jul 27, 6:59 am, "Mark T. Dame" wrote:
wrote:

Whats best for simplicity and price? The Metal/Plastic E6B or the
electronic one?

If you can only get one, I would recommend a small metal E6B (e.g.http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/523).

The electronic version is much easier to use, but the metal one always
works. It's unlikely it will ever break and it's batteries will never
run down. Additionally, for some problems, you get a better idea of
what's going on with a mechanical version.

I still carry my paper one (although my GPS actually has one built in
as well). Its interesting that you point out that the electronic ones
are easier to use. I've not found that to be the case. In fact, when a
student arrives for flight training with me and they pull out the
electronic E6B, I cring a bit. I have yet to see any student who can
pull out their electronic E6B in flight, after I've given them a
diversion or something, and do anything other than just fiddle with
it. Even when they do come up with the answer it takes forever. I'm
not going to be able to become an expert on every electronic E6B out
there but when I've looked at what my students show up with I find
that I cannot understand how to use it without spending an hour or so
with the manual.
However, I can show a student how to calculate most of what they need
to be able to do with the manual E6B in about 15 minutes.

-Robert, CFII

Mark T. Dame wrote:

The electronic version will also be more accurate, but don't let that
fool you. It won't make your flight any more accurate.

Excellent point.

I always get a kick out of airspeed or fuel requirements on my
calculator to the tenth or hundredth. If a few tenths of a gallon of
usable fuel, or a tenth of a knot, make a difference on my flight, I
need to slap myself.

On 2007-07-27 00:56:10 -0700, "
said:

Hi all

Whats best for simplicity and price? The Metal/Plastic E6B or the
electronic one?

I like the metal ones. The plastic E6Bs are junk. The metal E6B takes a
little longer to learn than an electronic one, but not much. Once you
learn to use it, it is much faster than the electronic versions.
Besides, the electronic versions pretend to a level of accuracy they
really do not have. It gets silly when you see readouts down to a
second either way. They remind me of the old saw "Measure it with a
calipers, mark it with a grease pencil, cut it with an axe."


--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

On Jul 27, 3:56 am, "
wrote:
Hi all

Whats best for simplicity and price? The Metal/Plastic E6B or the
electronic one?

I'm the navigator on my dad's flights

Thanks

Nigel Reeves


Is this for checkride/exam purposes or for real flying? I have not
used the E6B in over ten years for anthing. For in-flight purposes you
should be able to mentally estimate most of the numbers. For ground
planning, use a computer.

I haven't used an E6B since I took delivery on my Garmin 296. I'm sure
that proves me terribly lacking in something or other, but there it
is!

Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942
forthcoming from HarperCollins www.flyingtigersbook.com