Tonight was the first of two classes on flight planning. This is what it’s all about. The process used from A-Z for every flight. We spent most of the class learning to use the E6B flight computer. While there are electronic versions of this circular slide rule, the manual one doesn’t need batteries, and you don’t want to be stuck in the air without a flight computer.
At first glance, the E6B looks really complicated, but once familiar with all the markings, it’s quite easy to use. The amazing part is that someone came up with this thing 70 years ago and it’s still used today.
We spent a little time talking about the overall process of picking a route, marking checkpoints, and all of the factors involved in deciding whether or not to take the trip at all.