ASL Calculators have changed :(
 

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

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.

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!?!

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

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:

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

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

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

Are you f'ing serious?