Retirement Gift

[knot4u]

We were still using slide rules when I went to college. E6B is basically a round slide rule.

Could you do a quick wind vs track computation with a slide rule? Slide rules built our country but E6Bs made flying much easier. When no one had invented a reasonable airborne computer our ancestors twisted up the mechanical computer we'd been using and added some stuff. I don't think I've ever piloted an airplane without one somewhere in my gear, it probably wouldn't actually do me any good these days, my fancy fingers and super focused brain have been left long in the past and I'd just wonder where the time went as I ran out of fuel and altitude a long way off course as I looked at a black LCD screen. Maybe not, you never know.

 

[SteveC]

Could you do a quick wind vs track computation with a slide rule? Slide rules built our country but E6Bs made flying much easier. When no one had invented a reasonable airborne computer our ancestors twisted up the mechanical computer we'd been using and added some stuff. I don't think I've ever piloted an airplane without one somewhere in my gear, it probably wouldn't actually do me any good these days, my fancy fingers and super focused brain have been left long in the past and I'd just wonder where the time went as I ran out of fuel and altitude a long way off course as I looked at a black LCD screen. Maybe not, you never know.

A slide rule is a mechanical calculator, so yes, it can do the math required. But the E6B is a specialized mechanical calculator designed for aviation needs, so it's much simpler to use for your example.

https://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Course.htm

 

[knot4u]

A slide rule is a mechanical calculator, so yes, it can do the math required. But the E6B is a specialized mechanical calculator designed for aviation needs, so it's much simpler to use for your example.

https://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Course.htm

Did you really think I'm unaware of the sorcery the slide rule has produced? My E6B came naturally to me, maybe that was because my dad taught me to use a slide rule when beating up my older brother with a standard ruler stopped being fun. I love the fact that you quoted the wiki page. Merry Christmas.

 

[SteveC]

Did you really think I'm unaware of the sorcery the slide rule has produced? My E6B came naturally to me, maybe that was because my dad taught me to use a slide rule when beating up my older brother with a standard ruler stopped being fun. I love the fact that you quoted the wiki page. Merry Christmas.

I didn't quote wiki - never looked at that page.

I'm not sure what the rest of that paragraph means relative to the (minimal) conversation we were managing to have until this point.

*shrug*

 

[Boris Badenov]

Slide rues and E6Bs (which, yes, are essentially specialized slide rules) are cool. There is no disagreement about this evident fact, and thus no need for another pursefight.

 

[///AMG]

I still have an E6B that I occasionally twist and slide around to keep my mental pipes at least partially clear. I do recall a long, long time ago a very good ground instructor gave a lesson about the E6B and how it actually works. I was flabbergasted by the fact I basically had a modern version of the original mechanical computer (an abacus) sitting in my hands staring me right in the face and all I needed to do was spin and slide the movable bits and I'd end up with a very approximate, but broadly accurate, answer to any equations I wasn't able to figure out in my head. I hope whoever you crafted that gift for appreciates it.

Still have mine as well, though it probably hasn't seen the light of day since maybe 2003? It's a pretty cool piece of gear though, and it has certainly outlived the little electronic calculator type "flight planner" I got in the same timeframe (can't remember the actual name but I'm sure someone remembers what I'm talking about)