E6B · Flight Computer

Every function, plain boxes, instant answers · unityactual.com

Wind & Heading

Heading & ground speed

Enter your course, true airspeed, and the winds aloft. Get the wind correction, heading to fly, and ground speed.

Fill in all four boxes.

Runway wind components

Runway number and the reported wind. Get headwind or tailwind, and crosswind with direction.

Fill in all three boxes.

Find the winds aloft

You know what you're flying and what the GPS shows — work out the actual wind.

Fill in all four boxes.

Compass heading

True heading → magnetic (east is least, west is best) → compass, using your deviation card.

Enter true heading and variation.

Altitude

Pressure altitude

Field elevation plus the altimeter setting.

Enter elevation.

Density altitude

What the airplane thinks the altitude is. Higher means worse performance.

Enter both boxes.

True altitude

Cold weather makes the altimeter lie high. Actual height above sea level, roughly.

Enter indicated altitude and temperature.

Cloud base estimate

Temperature/dew point spread. Rough — cumulus bases on a convective day.

Enter both boxes.

Airspeed

True airspeed

From calibrated (or indicated) airspeed, pressure altitude, and temperature.

Fill in all three boxes.

Time · Speed · Distance

Solve for the missing one

Fill any two — the empty box gets the answer.

Enter two of the three.

Leg time & arrival

Distance, ground speed, and when you depart.

Enter distance and ground speed.

Off-course correction

How far off, how far you've come, how far to go. Get the heading change.

Fill in all three boxes.

Fuel

Fuel: fill any two

Quantity, burn rate, and time — the empty one gets solved.

Enter two of the three.

Fuel required for a leg

Distance, ground speed, burn rate — plus whatever reserve you want.

Fill in distance, speed, and burn.

Climb & Descent

Descent (or climb) to make a point

Feet to lose or gain, distance to the point, ground speed. Get the rate to hold.

Fill in all three boxes.

Climb gradient check

Your climb rate and ground speed against a required feet-per-mile (departure procedures).

Enter climb rate and ground speed.

Time to altitude

Feet to climb at a given rate.

Enter both boxes.

Conversions