Ground Speed

[slick1537]

Can anyone explain to me how to calculate ground speed using the E6B. I have most the other information but I simply can't remember how to get the ground speed.

[joker]

This should help.

http://www.asa2fly.com/files/support/E6B_Manual.pdf

Doesn't it tell you on the back of the E6B (at the top of the wind side)?

 

I personally use GPS!

 

Good luck.

 

Joker

Edited October 26, 2007 by joker

[ADRidge]

I love GPS, but for my PPL checkride, guess what... my gps just failed.

[Gomer Pylot]

Distance over the ground, divided by the time it takes to cover that distance. The E6B is just a circular slide rule, like I used back in college before the invention of the electronic calculator. You should be able to use a calculator for the checkride, so just enter the miles, divide by the minutes, then multiply by 60 to get miles/hour. If you want knots, use nautical miles instead of statute miles, or kilometers, or whatever distance measure you like. Groundspeed is simply distance divided by time.

[joker]

I love GPS, but for my PPL checkride, guess what... my gps just failed.

 

Yep, good point! Actually, I haven't used my E6B since teaching ground school sessions. I don't take it with me, although I'm thinking that maybe I should take something. However, the chance nowadays of not having another way to work this sort of thing out in the helicopter is so unlikely that I just find it bulky to carry.

 

Other methods of calculating stuff on board:

Calculator, pen and paper

Watch with slide rule bezel

GPS with calculation functions

Brain

 

However, this thread has spurred me to get it out and refresh my skills on it. Also to dig out my old slide rule - well actually a new one which I bought because I wanted to learn how to use one.

 

Here's good online slide rule to play with:

http://ws.cs.ubc.ca/~sanchom/wiki/index.php/Flight_Computer - E6B style

http://www.sagmilling.com/tools/sliderule/ - Traditional

 

Gomer is right though. The calculation for ground speed is relatively easy. With a map and stopwatch, you can work it out easily.

 

Joker

 

 

Edited October 26, 2007 by joker

[ADRidge]

Joker... that online E6B is pretty cool, thanks! God knows I need to brush up on all those skills. Just did one for the traffic patterns I'll be doing today.