Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site terak.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!mhuxn!houxm!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hao!noao!terak!doug From: doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: aviation calculators Message-ID: <208@terak.UUCP> Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 14:08:46 EST Article-I.D.: terak.208 Posted: Mon Dec 3 14:08:46 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 05:44:54 EST References: <128@anwar.UUCP> Distribution: net.general Organization: Terak Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, USA Lines: 30 [I'm being the Devil's Advocate -- been on retainer for some time]] My view is not to be confused with the popular view... I know of few pilots who agree with me... but... I say buy a cheapie all-plastic circular slide rule type, and then throw it out after you pass your flight test. Aviation calculators only multiply, divide, and do wind triangles. Any 10-buck calculator can do multiplication and division plus a bunch of other neat stuff like addition, subtraction, etc. Besides, anyone that is smart enough to figure out how to run a calculator can figure out all of the normal piloty stuff in his head (I'm being serious). All except wind triangles, which are of no use unless you know what the wind direction and speed are. And if you think that the Weather Service knows what the winds aloft are, I've got some land in Southern Arizona that I'd like to sell you. The only aviation calculator that I've seen that would have been worthwhile was made by Heathkit a number of years ago. It included a clock, and would accept up to 9 checkpoints and a flight plan. As you passed over each checkpoint, you punched a button and the calculator would figure out how long the preceding leg took. This information, combined with the heading that you had to hold to get where you were going, allowed the calculator to figure out what the wind must have been, and then would extrapolate the following legs of the flight plan based on that wind. Then it could give you neat info like ETA at each checkpoint, groundspeed, fuel remaining, etc. Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug