E6-B availability on written test

[warthog1984]

I'm looking to take my Inst written next week and want to know if CATS has an E6-B tool on their testing stations.

I know PSI/Lasergrade does, but the hours for local test centers are less than ideal. There's a CATS place nearby that I could use, but since I use an internet-based E6-B or guesstimating for actual flying I'd prefer if I didn't have to buy an E6-B just for the test.

If not, does somebody have an E6-B near KCMA that I could borrow?

Thanks!

 

[poadeleted20]

By FAA Order 8080.6F, the only things the test station is required to provide are:

(a) An explanation of and opportunity to utilize the online tutorial, which explains the method for navigating within the testing system;
(b) The required supplement book;
(c) An accountable number of blank sheets of scratch paper; and
(d) A writing instrument (if requested by the applicant).

While a test station that is located in a flight school may be able to loan you an E-6B, I wouldn't count on it, and one located in a commercial non-aviation facility almost certainly won't. I think you'd be very imprudent to show up without one (and I'll bet your instructor would agree). Even if you think they will provide one, it may not be quite like the one with which you've practiced, and they are not going to give you any training in its use. Ask your instructor for help if you need assistance locating one to use for this purpose and making sure you know how to use that particular device with ease and facility for all the possible questions requiring its use.

 

[warthog1984]

So has anybody taken a CATS-administered test recently and can give a yes/no on the built-in E6-B?

I was fine with PSI's uber-junky one, just need something for WCAs and TAS.

 

[Doggtyred]

I'm looking to take my Inst written next week and want to know if CATS has an E6-B tool on their testing stations.

I know PSI/Lasergrade does, but the hours for local test centers are less than ideal. There's a CATS place nearby that I could use, but since I use an internet-based E6-B or guesstimating for actual flying I'd prefer if I didn't have to buy an E6-B just for the test.

If not, does somebody have an E6-B near KCMA that I could borrow?

Thanks!

There was an electronic version of one, and calculator, on the test program itself when I took my computer test in the late 90's. It was very simple to use and worked fine.

 

[flyingron]

Don't know about CATS but the Lasergrade test stations have a reasonable electronic E6 built into the test software.

 

[poadeleted20]

Don't know about CATS but the Lasergrade test stations have a reasonable electronic E6 built into the test software.

I don't see anything on PSI's FAA Airman Knowledge Testing web site about that, although I did find one PSI (new name for Lasergrade) test provider which referenced "an on-screen flight computer and calculator". However, one might want to see if there's a way to practice with it before going in to take the test without bringing an E-6B you are comfortable using.

 

[drotto]

I believe that the sporty's electronic e6b as well as a few others are also approved for the test.

 

[JoeSelch]

I just took a couple of CATS exams ... It had a calculator with sin, cos, tan functions and maybe some others. Didn't *appear* to be an e6b, but I didn't really bother to check - I'm old school with the whiz wheel.

Tried to use the built-in calc for some simple arithmetic, but it didn't respond to num pad input the same way the Windows calculator does (got some odd results - the Enter key seemed to correspond with some other function). So, I bagged it and used my not-quite-as-crappy pocket calculator.

 

[poadeleted20]

I believe that the sporty's electronic e6b as well as a few others are also approved for the test.

That is correct. The key is that the device have no memory when switched off. What I'd advise one of my trainees to avoid is walking into the test room without being sure s/he can use quickly and effectively whatever approved device s/he intends to use. Hence, my caution about the built-in calculator in the testing system -- see the post directly above for why that's important. Fortunately, Joe had a backup calculator with which he was familiar -- might have gotten sticky otherwise.

 

[flyingron]

I have an ASA CX2 kicking around I used for my instrument test. It's only time I ever used it. Anytime I need something more involved than what Foreflight or one of my other online planners does, I've got another iPhone app that will compute (mostly when bored, I compute TAS and what the winds are enroute but that's just curiosity more than anything else).