which flight computer to begin with?

[gazman21]

hi
starting ppl in florida in 3 weeks,then gonna continue on to fatpl eventually.just wondering if anybody can recommend buying anything before going,perhaps i can pick up a pooleys crp1 or headsets off ebay.which computer is best,i know crp1 is good for ppl but crp5 good for cpl...should i just go and buy crp5 at start?and david clark headsets,are they as good as people say?
thanks in advance
gazman21

[simkin]

Gazman

Since you have ATPL intentions I reckon your best bet is to go for the CRP 5 from day one. I'm a PPL student and have gone for the CRP 5.

It's often said that you will need to be completely comfortable with your CRP 5 for the Nav ATPL exam. So the sooner you get one and start using it the better off you will be!

Headsets seem to be a very personal thing, some won't use anything other than DCs, others are happy with cheaper alternatives.

I went for the Peltor 8006 headset, as they were recommended to me by a few guys and felt good when I tried them on. They were also at the cheaper end of the scale!

The weak dollar will mean that you can buy a good headset at a relatively good price out in Florida. I think the Bose X come in at two thirds the UK price out there, although you're still looking at the wrong side of £500. If money was no object I would go for the Bose X, but then I'm a flash git.

All the best and enjoy Florida.

Sim

[Gillespie]

If you are going on to complete the atpl examinations after your ppl then go straight for the crap5. They're damn expensive for what they are, but rumour has it you can pick up second hand ones from e-bay.

As far as headsets are concerned I'd recommend buying a desent pair that'll last you. I use David clark, can't remember the model number but they cost just over £200. They are very good.

Hope this helps.

[Tallbloke]

Apparently, the examiners use the CRP-5 when setting th exam. I bought one with the wind arm on the strength of advice from Pruners, however I could not tell you whether the wind arm is worth it or not. I would say, however, that I took mine back because the quality of the print was not very good. Pooleys were very good and sent out another the same day, however, this one is also not the best bit of printing I have ever seen. When you pay £70 for a few bits of plastic with printing on them, you do expect the printing to be A1. You can also try E-bay, but the ones I have seen on there generally go for about 90% of list price and most e-bay vendors seem to charge a lot for postage so you can end up paying the same for a used product.

I have 2 pairs of DC headsets, they are great but I have never tried noise cancelling jobbies, if you are going to spend time in the US hours building I imagine that this could be an advantage flying day in day out.

[Blinkz]

Hey there,

I'm nearly at the end of my PPL and have been using the CRP-5 for all my nav work. Like has been said it is the wheel for the commercial exams and so it pays to get used to using it now. Also a point to note, make sure that you learn the proper way to use it during PPL. For example when using the wind side you can use two different methods, one is used in commercial exams (wind down) and the other is supposedly easier to use and used for PPL but is however not used in the ATPLs.

As for headsets I decided that I would rather pay slightly more for a better headset and so when I was over in the US I picked up a pair of bose-x for £400 odd. Great headset, really light and the ANR is really impressive. I'm training full time so fly as much as I can, plus will obviously be hour building. I'd rather spend a little more and make sure I don't loose my hearing hehe (I already have a slight bit of tinnitus, too many gigs whilst at uni, don't wanna make that worse!)

Good luck on your PPL

[Tinstaafl]

Blinkz, a lot of what you say depends on the instructor. It's not really correct to say that one method is used for PPL, another for CPL. Both methods will derive the answer.

Similarly the type of whiz wheel chosen. UK instructors in general are only familiar with CRPs even though there are other types available.

As I said, what you use & how is largely determined by the experience & familiarity of the instructor.

[BroomstickPilot]

Gazman21

For your JAA ATPL groundschool definitely stick to the CRP-5 and no other, crude and overpriced though it is. (CRP-1 is no use at ATPL level as it doesn't provide for MACH and density altitude calculations).

It is quite true that UK/JAA instructors are often familiar with only that one device and, surprise, surprise, the JAA examiners only use that one also.

If you get another type and you get into difficulty in class and you have to call the instructor over to help you he/she will be well brassed off if he/she has to keep the rest of the class waiting while he/she figures out the differences between your whizzwheel and the one everybody else is using.

There are indeed several other makes of whizz on the market, but remember you are doing the European exams and some of the problems you will have to handle involve conversions between, say US gallons, Imperial gallons and litres. Some of the American whizzwheels don't have all of these options, and may lack especially the metric measures.

Finally, when you get the whizz, get a small screwdriver and strip it. Rub the bearing surfaces lightly with a piece of wax candle. You will then find it will run more smoothly and will be less likely to jerk past the point you are aiming for when you are trying to work quickly. The General Nav exam has a reputation for being a race against time, so even seconds saved when you have nervous, fumbling fingers is worthwhile. (Actually, I took the General Nav exam twice and found it OK as regards time available, but then I always liked Nav whereas many don't).

Good luck with your ATPLs!

Broomstick

[Tinstaafl]

None of my American whiz wheels have ever lacked conversion ratios. Except maybe my Kane slide type but it wasn't suitable for high speed problems anyway.

[Piltdown Man]

No choice here - CRP5. Headsets - I found DC (H10-40) excellent until they got to a heated screen. Now use Peltors. Go for the most comfortable and, if you are rich, ANR. Oh, and cloth covers to mop up the sweat!

[silverknapper]

I used to have peltors but a bit on them broke - bought DC H10-13.4 and am delighted with them. Very well built, and much more comfortable than early DC head vices. Would imagine they'll be dirt cheap in the states.