Flight Computers
5th Sep 2022
Manual flight computers and aviation plotters are essential for every pilot. They allow you to plan for flight and make fuel burn, in-flight speed, ground speed, time en route, loading weights, wind corrections, and other calculations. Here are some of the best flight computers and aviation plotters in the market:
ASA CX-3 Flight Computer
The CX-3 Flight Computer from ASA allows for simple flight planning and effective training. You can use the CX-3 flight computer for multiple aviation functions, including those related to time, distance, speed, heading, fuel, wind, cloud base, altitude, climb and descent, glide, standard atmosphere, and weight and balance. It also has holding pattern functions, allowing you to determine holding details and entry methods. The CX-3 also has a built-in calculator, timer, clock, and stopwatch. You can adjust such settings as time zone, scrolling speed, themes, backlighting, lighting, and more. The flight computer, which goes for $99.95, has a no-slip strip that prevents sliding off the desk.
Ultimate Rotating Plotter
The Ultimate Rotating Plotter by ASA is an easy-to-use VFR chart plotter. It allows you to plot courses and measure distances on VFR charts. The plotter is made of durable Lexan resin that won’t break, wrap, or melt even in extreme temperatures. The 8 scales plotter features, among others, a rotating azimuth for simplified flight planning and direct course readout and a nautical-statute conversion scale. The USA-made plotter goes for $13.95 and is accompanied by a lifetime warranty.
The standard E6B-Type computer by Gleim is made of durable fiberboard. Notable features of the easy-to-use flight computer are the crosswind component, special equipment suffixes, and flight plan sequence checklist. It goes for $11.95.
ASA E6-B Metal Flight Computer
Another popular E6B-type flight computer is the E6-B Metal Flight Computer by ASA. The aluminum flight computer is powered by long-lasting batteries and is easy to read in different lighting conditions. The front side of the ASA E6B-type flight computer uses a slide rule computer for time, speed, distance, fuel burn, true airspeed, and density altitude computation as well as conversion, while the back side of the computer has a crosswind correction chart and a wind component grid. The flight computer, which goes for $33.95, comes in a vinyl case and has an instruction booklet included.
International Square Aviation Plotter
This is a handy, easy-to-use plotter that goes for only $5.45. It is made of durable Lexan® that won’t break, warp, or melt. It uses a 1:500,000 scale and includes 10 NM and 5 NM radius rings for easy and quick measurement, as well as a 2 NM grid for easy parallel alignment.
APR 13″ ICAO International Fixed Azimuth Navigation Protractor Plotter
The IP-13 Fixed ICAO Plotter from APR has Kilometer and Nautical Mile scales for WAC, Sectional, and Terminal Charts. It is made from durable plastic and goes for $12.95.
You can get these plotters and flight computers as well as others like the Jeppesen PV-5 IFR Enroute Plotter, E6-B Paper Flight Computer, and E6-B Circular Flight Computer from https://www.fallonpilotshop.com.