Flight Training - January/February 2024 - 4

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LETTERS
CONFIDENCE
BUILDERS
As a new private pilot this year (at 68!), I
really appreciated Jill W. Tallman's column
in the September/October 2023 Flight
Training magazine ( " Around the Patch:
Confidence Builders " ). As I now work
toward my instrument rating, I can't help
asking on a regular basis whether I'm " cut
out " (really, too old) for this. I'm grateful
for your positivity on that question.
David R. Ford
Washington, D.C.
TECHNIQUE
BY JILL W. TALLMAN
ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLES FLOYD
ANALOG AND PROUD OF IT
USING AN E6B TO SOLVE A CALCULATION
WHAT TOOL HELPS YOU CALCULATE FUEL BURN, DETERMINE WIND CORRECTION ANGLES,
true course heading, fuel burn, density altitude, and even Mach speed (for when you start
fl ying jets)? All can be computed with the manual E6B. It's basically a slide rule, so if you
learned to use a slide rule in school, you're already ahead. For the rest of us, performing these
calculations manually rather than using an app or an electronic fl ight bag is akin to navigating
by dead reckoning-a tried-and-true method that can be used if computers crap out because
they overheat or run out of battery power. (And we hear designated pilot examiners have been
known to announce, " Your EFB has died " during a checkride, so there's another reason to
learn how to use the manual one.)
jill.tallman@aopa.org
Assume a fuel burn of 9.5 gallons per hour for a Cessna
172. Using the calculator side of the E6B, line up the
pointer to 9.5 on the outside ring.
How long will you be fl ying? Assume a fl ight time of
1 hour and 10 minutes. Without moving the rings or the
pointer, fi nd 1:10 on the inner ring, then look directly above
to the outside ring: It will indicate 11.1 gallons-that's your
estimated fuel burn for your fl ight.
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 Shifl ett, director of training
at CFI Bootcamp in Palo Alto,
California, declared in July that
his fl ight 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.
Shifl ett is a fan of ForeFlight,
but that's not the only game in
town when you need to fi gure out
a math problem.
FLIGHT TRAINING ONLINE
ONLINE RESOURCES
PILOT INFORMATION CENTER
Ask just about any aviationrelated
question, and AOPA will
have an answer and resources
for you. Contact AOPA's Pilot
Information Center by phone
or email.
800-USA-AOPA (872-2672)
aopa.org/about/contact-aopa
ONLINE RESOURCE: VREF
Looking to buy an airplane?
The AOPA Aircraft Valuation
Service from Vref is a good
starting point when attempting
to determine the value of an
airplane.
aopa.org/vref
QUIZZES
Can't get enough of Flight
Training's Final Exam quizzes?
Test your knowledge with
dozens of interactive quizzes
online.
aopa.org/ft/quizzes
ASK THE A&PS
Expert mechanics answer your toughest
aviation maintenance questions.
aopa.org/podcasts
Explore more training topics in
our expanded online content hub
aopa.org/ft
32
FLIGHT TRAINING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023
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 fl ight bag: We
mentioned ForeFlight, but E6B
functions can be found in Garmin
Pilot and similar electronic fl ight
bags. An EFB is faster than a
whiz wheel in fl ight planning,
and anyone accustomed to
computer technology will fi nd
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
fl ight. 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.
FLIGHT TRAINING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023
33
ANALOG AND
PROUD OF IT
Thanks for the article on the E6B ( " Analog
and Proud of It, " September/October
2023 Flight Training). Some of us still have
them, and your article encouraged me
to take mine off the shelf to see if I could
still make it work! One small correction.
An E6B is not used to " solve a calculation. "
It is used to perform a calculation, or solve
a problem.
Steve Earsom
Roanoke, Virgina
Nice reminder, and a little nostalgia for
those of us who grew up with whiz
wheels, though I confess I've long since
stopped carrying mine in my flight bag.
Fun fact: for many years, the accountants
in the Sharp Electronics factory in
Japan insisted on using abacuses instead
of the newfangled electronic thingies
their company sold. They insisted an
4 FLIGHT TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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Flight Training - January/February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - January/February 2024