Definition
A handheld digital device, or a software application, designed to perform aviation-specific calculations such as true airspeed, density altitude, wind correction angle, time/speed/distance, fuel burn, and weight and balance. It replaces the mechanical E6B flight computer with electronic input and instant numerical output.
Plain English
A small calculator (or app) built specifically for pilot math. You type in the numbers and it gives you the answer for things like wind correction, fuel use, and how long a leg will take.
Context Anchor
Seen in flight planning, cross-country training, preflight preparation, and FAA knowledge test preparation.
Derivation
Calculator comes from a Latin word meaning “to count or reckon.” Electronic means it uses electrical circuits or software instead of a manual sliding scale. Together, the phrase points to a flight-planning tool that works out aviation numbers electronically.
Why Pilots Care
Reduces calculation time and arithmetic errors during preflight planning, allowing more attention to weather, routing, and aircraft performance decisions.
Intuition Check
Do not think of an electronic flight calculator as only a basic math calculator. In aviation, it is set up to solve common flight-planning problems, not just add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
Example Sentence 1
Before departure, she used her electronic flight calculator to work out true airspeed and fuel burn for the cruise leg.
Example Sentence 2
During the preflight briefing the instructor showed how the electronic flight calculator could convert indicated airspeed to true airspeed in seconds.