Definition
A handheld calculating device, mechanical or electronic, used by pilots to solve common flight planning problems such as time, speed, distance, fuel burn, wind correction, true airspeed, density altitude, and weight and balance.
Plain English
A small calculator built specifically for the maths a pilot needs to plan and fly a trip. It works out things like how long a leg will take, how much fuel you'll burn, and how the wind will push you off course.
Context Anchor
Used during flight planning, cross-country training, navigation lessons, and sometimes in the cockpit when updating time, fuel, or wind calculations.
Derivation
Called a 'computer' in the older sense of the word — a device that computes. The mechanical version (the E6B) predates electronic computers by decades; it's a circular slide rule designed for aviation maths.
Why Pilots Care
Flight computers are the standard tool for solving the everyday numbers of flying. Students are expected to use one fluently on knowledge tests, and pilots use them to check fuel reserves, groundspeed, and wind correction angles in real time.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “flight computer” always means an installed cockpit screen or a laptop. In training, it often means a handheld electronic calculator or the manual circular E6-B tool used for flight planning math.
Example Sentence 1
Before takeoff, she used her flight computer to calculate the wind correction angle and groundspeed for each leg of the cross-country.
Example Sentence 2
She checked the new groundspeed on her electronic flight computer before calling approach control.