ASA CX-3 Flight Computer – Advanced Electronic E6B for Accurate Flight Planning and FAA Exam Preparation

If you are looking for a calculator to help you pass your PAR this is it. At first it is confusing but after watching some videos and doing multiple problems it is very straightforward and simple and easier than a mechanical E6B. The battery life is amazing and it feels worth the price. The quality is amazing and it is very easy to read and use.

The best flight calculator on the market (June 2025) It does everything the whizz wheel does. plus so much more. The back light is very useful too. Easy to read, fast calculations (mostly instantanious), yes its complicated - the instructions are clear and once you have read them and practiced a bit - it soon becomes very easy. Hey if you're a Pilot, you are not stupid, so you can easily use this amazing calculator - the only thing it doesn't do is make the tea / coffee - which you can do whilst reading the instructions on your iPad! Happy Landings.

I bought this and the sporty's flight computer to compare. I found this one easier to use and much easier to see. Even with my readers it's not easy to see the fine print under each key on the sporty's version. It just made more sense using this one also. One single key does unit conversions and will do so for whatever you are currently looking at. One button only. Sporty's has a different conversion button for each unit designation and you must read very small print under each small key to get to the correct one. The ASA version has simple back space button also if you made an incorrect entry. Super easy. I'm sure there's a way on the sporty's version too but I didn't readily see how to do that in several minutes of using it....what's that tell ya? The COLORED screen show you a green = sign to show this is a calculated field from the numbers you entered. Hence sometimes you see a number you weren't even looking for but because you entered enough data fields it displays and = sign and ALL the related fields it figured out. It takes a bit of time to determine what screen is used for each problem you are looking to solve. For instance endurance will likely be in the 'fuel' category etc. One thing some have complained about is there's no way to clear the computer without removing the battery. I too had a problem it was remembering data entries I didn't want it to so it could possibly give me the wrong answer. But this is because it's trying to show you ALL the possible answers per your entires and carry them over to relevant other screens. However it's very easy to simply start at the top of the screen hit '0' then 'enter' then simply repeat hitting those two same buttons and it walks down the screen and zeros all entires to start over. So it takes all of about 2-3 seconds to clear all entries. You do not need to remove the batteries. Unlike the sporty's version this one has lighted keys! If you were trying to use this in a darker environment no problem... you could be in big trouble trying to do that with sporty's. The screen on sporty's lights up but NOT the keys. Another thing I like better is the keys are bigger on the ASA !! NICE! I was far less likely to make a typing mistake by hitting the wrong key. The sporty's version has very small keys... easy to make a mistake.... and I don't need any help making mistakes I can do that all by myself pretty easy lol. The buttons on the ASA feel very sturdy... easy and predictable when pressed with a distinct 'click' when doing so. Not as obvious with the sporty's. So all in all after trying both I definitely liked the ASA version the best. Plus it looks cool... modern. You can even change the color of the text. About the only thing I could complain about is it came with no user manual. These days not big deal just look on-line right?.... But it would have been a real 10 out 10 if it came with a small cheat sheet that fit right in the cover that would help you know which screen for what answer... like 'Endurance = Fuel' or TR'cs = TRIP .. you figure it out but a little cheat sheet would have been the ACE in the hole. You won't be disappointed with the ASA version. It feels solid and seems very well made. Its operation is just about as novice / user friendly as you could get.

This calculator is amazing, my son is getting read for his PPL ground school FAA exam and this was a game changer for the chart questions. Must have for flight students.

A little expensive but extremely easy to use and does everything for you except fly the plane. This will get you through your PAR and is a great tool to have in your flight bag after that. To wipe the memory, pull all of the batteries out of it in front of your examiner.

Light-years ahead of the other brand. Easy interface, does everything you need.

The computer works very well and it is very helpful, but I’m not very happy with how it opens both for battery replacement and for the front cover. They are hard to get off, especially the battery side where you have to pull it off with a screwdriver or fingernails. It should have a design like my TI-83, especially with the poor battery life. It lasts 20h max. We should also be able to change the screen brightness independently from the keypad, and to a lower level. Choosing different colors for the themes would also be nice. Like the night theme should make all text red, they make it green and white instead. One feature they should add is time adjustment calculations for holding patterns, for adjusting the inbound leg based on your outbound leg time, while showing your previous outbound leg time, correction and new time. Also, I don’t know why they put the ‘star’ button on the left of the directional keys, displacing the left arrow one key to the left, those keys should be swapped.

Very good product!

The ASA CX3 is a must-have for any pilot in training or even seasoned aviators who want a fast, reliable E6B alternative. It’s incredibly intuitive much easier to use than older flight computers, and the interface is clean and straightforward. I’ve used it for everything from flight planning to in-flight recalculations, and it hasn’t let me down once. It handles weight and balance, wind correction, true airspeed, density altitude, fuel burn you name it. The display is clear, even in bright light, and the battery life is excellent. I also like that it's allowed on FAA knowledge tests, which made it a great study companion during my PPL prep. If you're serious about flying, skip the cheap calculators or phone apps this thing is rock solid and well worth the investment.

Great help

Best product and budget friendly

For that money your regular smartphone would be made of glass and metal. Here we have glossy flimsy plastic all around. I can safely bet that battery tray latches will break on 3rd or 4th battery change. But there are no other options anyway, and apart from presentation its doing its job perfectly.

Amazing product. Loaded with features. Great user interface. Simple to use.