ASL Calculators have changed :(

[go_soaring]

G'day All,

Got a rude shock today when I went for my final ATPL @ the ASL exam centre in Bankstown. They have changed the Calculator :(.

I kicked up a bit of a stink about it because, as you know time is important when doing most of these exams. For the past 7 months, I and many others no doubt have been practicing on the Aurora, and too find that it had changed was a bit of a shock..

I asked how long this new calc would be in for, and the reply was for a year or so.. The new calc, I found was really hard to work. Either my reverse sign (eg, to change 3 into -3) wasn't working, or I just couldn't use it. The M+, MRC and Memory Clear wasn't as user friendly as the last one either. It's about 3/4 in size, with the buttons (apart from the standard 10!) in different locations. Took quite a bit of practice to trust the answers it was giving out.

Thankfully though, I managed to get away with it today and finished my last ATPL :) - I told the lady behind the desk, that I hope to never see her again!! (obviously as a light hearted joke)

I hope for the flight planners out there, that this isn't going to affect you.

Next in line, to do this '$99 english exam to make sure I can speak good' :)


go_soaring! instead

[Lasiorhinus]

How hard is it to use a simple calculator?:eek:

I got through all the ATPLs using a big graphing calculator while I was doing the practise, and occasionally my mobile phone, when I forgot the calculator. Never had any trouble using the simple ones ASL provide.

[Wicked shimmy]

Yeah, it's been in place for about a month and it's a dog!

For those interested the new calculator is the Canon LS-82z and it can be bought from Officeworks for around $15. One thing you need to know about it is the +/- button, which you would assume you should use to change the number into a negative, doesn't work. Instead you hit the minus button, then type the number you want as a negative and carry on as normal. Other problems with it include: very small and close together buttons, an overly complicated memory system and sometimes it takes more than one press to get the buttons to work.

It's not really a problem for most of the exams, but in the time critical Flight Planning exam it could be a bitch! Especially when you can't get the +/- button to work and you're converting degrees Celsius to kelvin as part of the Mach number formula!?!

[brns2]

which atpls are calculators supplied, i have done met,hf,sys and none of them required a calc. I am hoping to do nav next and wondering if you get one as the website doesnt say one will be supplied????

also wat about fp and perf?

thanks

[WannaBeBiggles]

Congrats go_soaring!!!!

I'm glad I finished all the ATPL's that require a calculator. The Aurora's could be a bit of a pain, having to almost beat one in to submission during FP because the 0 key was sticky! :ugh:
Having said that, I have been quite used to using the Aurora seeing that we've had to use them since CPL.

brns2, yep, you'll be using the supplied calculator for those 3 exams. All the best! :ok:

[WarmNuts]

Hey Al

I had the new Canon for my exam and i reckon it's better than that aurora crap... but i don't think they've made the full transistion to canon cos i saw some auroras at other stations... congrats GS on the ATPLs...the english test will be a fun way to lose $99.. i hear the test is done by an indian... i spose you can talk about your favourite curry

[Cap'n Arrr]

Anyone else notice with the old ones, that if you lean over it at the right angle, the numbers on the screen disappear!:eek:

[Tankengine]

Now you can keep studying for your command go-soaring!:E
see you in qld.:ok:

[strim]

Are you f'ing serious?