Whizz-Wheels

[EI_Sparks]

Just wondering - what whizz-wheel do you use? I'm thinking of treating myself to a nice aluminium one and there seems to be a choice of 3 - a Jeppeson one or one of the ASA ones (the standard aluminium E6B or the micro E6B). I've seen the standard E6B, but not the other two, so I thought I'd ask my local eCommunity of pilots :D :p

Bit of a narrow topic mind you, so how about posting any comments you have on your flight computer (even electronic ones, which are obviously cheating :D ).

I don't think that's too commercial, is it BRL? After all, there's lots of threads on headsets!

[Genghis the Engineer]

For PPL use, they're all much the same to be honest.

The only thing I wouldn't do is buy an aluminium one, they bend in your flight bag and stop working properly. I'd recommend buying a plastic, or even cardboard one in preference to Aluminium.

G

[Julian]

My god - what have you been doing with it to bend it!?!?!?
Mine is 3 years old and going strong!

[dublinpilot]

I've the Jepp one. Year and a half old, and still going strong (never bent). Only thing it doesn't do is cross wind calculations. I just use a rule of thumb for that.

I'd highly recommond the jepp one.

[Aerobatic Flyer]

For practical everyday use, by far the best thing I have ever used is the "Wind Protractor", which hardly anyone seems to use!

It doesn't have the mathematical functions of a whizz wheel, but it makes all your heading / time calculations unbelievably simple, is unbreakable, has no moving parts, and can be used in flight easily.

I would post a link to a picture of it, but it might get zapped! But if you search for "wind protractor" on the web site of any well known pilot shop, you should find it!:)

[Pronto]

I'm still using the same (plastic) Airtour CRP-1 that I bought at the start of my PPL training at the beginning of 1983. It's still going strong, hasn't bent, twisted or warped. Even the printing on the plastic has remains good and unblemished.

If you've got a plastic one, and it's still in good order, I'd stay with it (and spend the money saved on flying!)

[Final 3 Greens]

I bought a micro E6B in LA in 1996 - still unbent (Genghis - is there something you need to 'fess up to??;) )

If you can read the small typeface it is a good unit and it has x-wind plotting on the reverse too.

[Fujiflyer]

Mine is the plastic / card ASA type which I bought for my PPL. It did me fine (I use a proper computer now for calcs) - it comes with a nice little instruction book with worked examples. I believe this is the cheapest wizzy wheel available in the UK.

FujiF

[LPL]

For PPL training all you need is a pooleys CRP1 or similar, they all do the same job. If you are intending to go on to do commercial stuff you really need its big brother, the CRP5,

As regards using electronic ones, they are no more cheating than using the whizz wheel variety, after all they are both called 'computers'.

LPL

[28thJuly2001]

Buy the cheapest you can find because as soon as you get your PPL you will never use it again :D
Walt,

[djk]

pooleys CRP1 works fine for me, only cost about £35

[Keef]

Something odd there. I bought an aluminium Telex one in 1979 and it's still in my flight bag and in perfect nick. Never use it these days - I use a Jeppesen calculator on those rare occasions...

Go for the cheapest one you can (even second-hand) cos once you have your PPL you're not likely to use it much.

[Final 3 Greens]

28th July

Not a healthy point of view IMHO.

[28thJuly2001]

:D < means just kidding.....Sorry it wasnt so obvious.
Walt,,

[Tinker]

The ASA E6B is excellent, the only fault I found was it needed a bit of wd40 and a bit of manipulation in the arm chair to make it more user friendly for one handed use. It's probably the cheapest wiz wheel you'll get over here with the exception of the ali/cardboard Jepp.
I was forced to buy a CRapP5 for my ATPLs but found it to be far less user friendly and given the choice I would have spent the money on the electronic version purely for the fact it will also do weight and balance, is a calculator and you can store info and change the parameters of your flight quickly.
The ali version is still used occasionally and fits neatly into my kneeboard, the crappy 5 has been dismantled and part of it has been used to 'shim' my bathroom sink pedestal. Nuff said!

[Final 3 Greens]

Walt

Sorry, missed the smiley - my mistake.

[Tinstaafl]

I prefer the Jeppesen CR type, particularly the CR5 model. Only 3 3/4" in diameter. Very convenient - it fits in most pockets.

[NotAnotherUsername]

Errrr, think I might get shot down for this....

Why the big concerns over never using a wizz-wheel after PPL?

I haven't used mine since a few weeks after I passed the GFT, after all a few judicious uses of the 1 in 60 rule and you've got all the wind correction angle/headwind info you need in real life.

As for all the other gubbins on it:

- TAS v IAS: be serious! VFR in the UK, you rarely get above 3k anyway, so near enough the same.
- ability to multiply and divide: I can! Worst comes to the worst and use a proper calculator.
- density altitude: again, not an issue in the UK unless you are going into some real small fields on very hot days. I don't because these are are marginal conditions and I like living.

And yes, I'm sure the wheel would be more accurate than my rough calculations but given that we never actually know what the winds are going to be down to the last knot, then it's irrelevant.

As for the thought of trying to use one in the air, no chance! More important things to do like aviating, navigating and communicating!

[edited for speeling]