Analog and proud of it

Love it or hate it?

Other tools to solve aviation math problems

Most pilots either love or hate the manual E6B, and there’s a vocal minority who believe it’s obsolete. Mike Shiflett, director of training at CFI Bootcamp in Palo Alto, California, declared in July that his flight school instructors will no longer train primary students to use the E6B. “I’ve been on a mission to call the E6B what it is, and what it continues to be: a rite of passage that really robs students of real-world training,” he said.

Shiflett is a fan of ForeFlight, but that’s not the only game in town when you need to figure out a math problem.

Electronic E6B: Essentially a calculator with additional functionality, the electronic E6B is faster and more portable than the manual E6B, and the FAA allows it to be used to calculate problems for knowledge tests. It’s also more expensive (models run from $60 to $120); runs on batteries; and is not intuitive—you’ll need to review the operating manual to make sure you are correctly performing the functions you seek.

Electronic flight bag: We mentioned ForeFlight, but E6B functions can be found in Garmin Pilot and similar electronic flight bags. An EFB is faster than a whiz wheel in flight planning, and anyone accustomed to computer technology will find one easy. They’re not inexpensive, however—annual subscriptions run more than $75—and their devices require charged batteries and/or back-up power to keep them functional for the duration of the flight. They can also overheat in the cockpit and shut down.

GPS: Panel-mounted or handheld GPS, like EFBs, can be programmed to plot a course and calculate time, speed, or distance.