Flight computer

Flight computer, or simply the "whiz wheel", is a form of circular slide rule used in aviation and one of a very few analog computers in widespread use in the 21st century. Sometimes it is called by the make or model name like E6B, CR or CRP-5.

They are mostly used in flight training, but many professional pilots still carry and use these flight computers. They are used during flight planning (on the ground before takeoff) to aid in calculating fuel burn, wind correction, time en route, and other items. In the air, the flight computer can be used to calculate ground speed, estimated fuel burn and updated estimated time of arrival. The back is designed for wind correction calculations, i.e., determining how much the wind is affecting one's speed and course. See wind triangle and dead reckoning.

Gallery

• 
  CAS-TAS conversion
• 
  An E6B flight computer commonly used by student pilots.
• 
  nm-km conversion on a CRP-5 flight computer

See also

• P. V. H. Weems
• Philip Dalton