Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watcgl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watcgl!dmmartindale
From: dmmartindale@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Martindale)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: aviation calculators
Message-ID: <619@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Dec-84 23:08:25 EST
Article-I.D.: watcgl.619
Posted: Sun Dec  2 23:08:25 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 06:45:22 EST
References: <128@anwar.UUCP>
Distribution: net.general
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 21

Well, I know the Avstar is available at my local flying club.  I don't own
one, though every once in a while I think about it.  Basically, the idea
of a specialized calculator where I could just key in wind speed, direction,
true track, and true airspeed and get out true heading and groundspeed
appeals to me - that's how a flight-planning calculator should work.

I already do the other calculations involved in flight planning with
a calculator, and I've written a program for my HP-10C to do the typical
wind-drift calculation (though it is awkward to use).  So for me, buying
a specialized calculator would get me a better "user interface", but I'd
lose Reverse Polish Notation for input, which I like, and probably
lose the HP's nice floating point too (I haven't looked closely at the
Avstar - I don't know if it really has scientific notation).  Also, the
HP doesn't know how to handle TAS/CAS conversions, pressure/density
altitude conversions, and that sort of thing.

But I definitely don't like the old-fashioned slide-rule type of
flight computer, for the same reason that I prefer a digital calculator
to a slide rule - it's simply easier to use, and more accurate.
I still carry the slide-rule type though, for the functions that
my calculator doesn't provide, and as a backup (no batteries!).