Verified Purchase
- By on Friday, November 11, 2022
- Review: As a replacement for my CX-2, this unit certainly gets the job done. I appreciate the choice of two font colors….white or green. It works as expected and i hope this one lasts. The casing seems a good bit thinner than the CX-2, so you just have to handle a little more carefully.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 124 Other people found this review helpful.
Great Tool for Flight Planning
- By JKangaroo188 from Riverside, CA on Thursday, October 13, 2022
- Pros: The speed at which it gives me my numbers
- Cons: It's battery powered
- Review:
The flight computer has been the greatest I used when doing written exams, calculating for the SCAN exam for NIFA, and it came in clutch when doing flight planning for my Aircraft Dispatch Certificate.
The speed at which it gives me my numbers is phenomenal!
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 48 Other people found this review helpful.
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Great tool for learning.
- By A Customer from Clarence Center NY USA on Thursday, May 26, 2022
- Pros: When the correct answer is apparent, it is easy to see where you are making calculation mistakes.
- Cons: Needs runway takeoff distance calculations with and without obstacle.
- Review:
The CX-3 really helped me better understand what information was required to solve some aviation problems. Since the calculator gave me the correct answer, I was able to concentrate instead on all the information needed to get that answer. Altitudes and Weight and Balance problems are a lot easier to understand now.
Using this tool helped me understand the solutions rather than just memorizing the answers.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 46 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Best E6-B Replacement
- By A Customer from Evans GA USA on Wednesday, March 22, 2023
- Pros: Logical layout. Easy cursor movement
- Cons: Larger and heavier than expected.
- Review: Best replacement for the old whiz wheel that I have found. Extremely easy to use. Everything is laid out in a concise and logical format. No scrolling through a crowded collection of terms looking for the function needed
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 39 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Game Changer - So easy to use!
- By Robemax351 from Tampa FL USA on Monday, May 23, 2022
- Pros: Easy to use, intuitive, saves data for multiple calculations, on and on
- Cons: Not a huge fan of how you open the back to change the batteries, but not a big deal.
- Review: This product is a genuine game-changer for flight planning, Weight & Balance, and other calculations. Hard to believe it's legal for use on the FAA exams!
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 37 Other people found this review helpful.
Excellent Device
- By Kenny Taylor from Bakersfield, CA on Tuesday, October 5, 2021
- Review: Bought the CX-3 while going through PPL ground school. I learned the calculations on both the E6B and CX-3, and I must say the CX-3 is a bunch faster and provides a bit more precision in the results.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 35 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
- By on Monday, December 6, 2021
- Review: Great tool for PPL ground school. The nerd in me appreciates results to two decimal places vs. guessing whole numbers on the paper E6B. Not a big deal for the purposes of the exam, but I like it.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 34 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Great calculator
- Verified Purchase
Excellent Tool
- By D L from Camp Hill PA USA on Tuesday, March 31, 2020
- Review: Far easier to use than my old E6B slide rule.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 29 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
- By on Tuesday, October 6, 2020
- Review: Bought and used this for my ATP Helicopter written test. Works great and have no complaints what so ever. It does all of the weight and balance calculations on the ATP written test except for two which were simple math and was not an issue that it didn't do those. I highly recommend this flight computer.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 28 Other people found this review helpful.
One of the best tools ever
- By Just Flying for Fun from Wetumpka, AL on Wednesday, January 20, 2021
- Pros: Does everything the Whiz Wheel (E6B) can do and more....quickly and accurately
- Cons: I can't think of any except it needs batteries every so often.
- Review: I have the 1987 version of this Flight Computer that my wife bought me for Christmas right after I got my PPL. I have used it since and still do. Older version used 2 2032 batteries, so the new version is cheaper to get batteries for. I recommend it highly not only for written and practical exams (I did Instrument, Commercial, and CFI exams with mine) but a great tool when trying to do quick inflight calculations. I'd buy it again.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 28 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Would buy 7 more if I could
- By Fernando from Drummondville QC Canada on Sunday, December 3, 2017
- Pros: Easy to use, well made, reduces work time drastically.
- Cons: Software a bit laggy sometimes, you can see weird black spots onscreen when typing down something.
- Review:
The ASA CX-3 Pathfinder, what can I say? When you thought nothing was ever gonna be as good as the ole Trusty CX-2 comes the CX-3 sayin' holdma beer.
It is with all honesty one of the best aviation products I have ever purchased, really easy to use, good quality, well-made, user-friendly and most importantly it does the job is supposed to do flawlessly, it is quick on the operations and it really reduces workload and time planning your flights exponentially. It is a sure upgrade from the already great CX-2, apart that the screen is a sure upgrade from the black with green background game boy like screen from the previous version. - Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 27 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
EXCELLENT ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR
- By JUAN from Danville PA USA on Thursday, October 31, 2019
- Pros: Numbers and letters are easy to see, easy to use, nights appearance.
- Cons: Difficult to open the back cover to replace batteries.
- Review: It was easy for me to start using a calculator, placing the numbers on the appropriate places. Helped me a lot during the computer test.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 26 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Very Good Quality E6B
- By Tania from San Diego CA USA on Tuesday, June 29, 2021
- Pros: Sturdy and easy to use
- Cons: Battery life dies quickly
- Review: I really liked the quality of the E6B computer. It takes a few minutes to understand how to use it, but overall it is easy to understand.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 25 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Great Flight Planning Tool
- By A Customer on Wednesday, May 8, 2019
- Pros: Designed for pilots
- Cons: Cost
- Review: This is a very simple but powerful tool for flight planning. The flight plan mode is ideal for the related questions on the Instrument Knowledge test. It is clear to read and I love the tactile feel of the buttons when pushed. It is intuitive to use and easily changes to a simple calculator mode. I have yet to use all of its capabilities but even then, it blows away my old electronic E6B. I was reluctant to buy it because it is a little expensive but I have no remorse now that I've used it.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 25 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Fantastic Calculator
- By Russ from Glen Burnie MD USA on Monday, September 9, 2019
- Pros: Perfect
- Cons: Have not found any
- Review: This Flight Computer makes everything so much easier. I especially like the backlit screen. I read previous reviews regarding the calculator not working...chaulk those up to user error. Once you get the understanding and flow this thing kicks butt. You can get a full manual online.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 24 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Passed IFR Written 95%
- By A Customer from San Diego CA USA on Wednesday, January 24, 2024
- Pros: Cross wind and groundspeed
- Cons:
- Review: Didn't realize there are batteries inside that I had to reset before taking test but otherwise used it for all the math stuff!
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 24 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Every student should own one
- Verified Purchase
- Verified Purchase
Great Product
- By Alexander from Charlotte NC USA on Wednesday, November 29, 2017
- Pros: This is a very handy product that make your calculation time very easy.
- Cons: I have no cons
- Review: I am a student pilot and I love this calculator for the ease of use as well as making calculating time much faster over the slide rule. I would honestly say this is a must for any pilot.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 23 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Great!
- Verified Purchase
- Verified Purchase
Portable and thoroughly sufficient
- By A Customer from Parrish FL USA on Monday, February 12, 2024
- Pros: Handy, portable and easy to use.
- Cons: Would be nice to be able to print out your calculations when finished.
- Review: Although electronic E6Bs are taking the aviation industry by storm, I still find this very reliable and doesn't take up as much room as the iPad.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 19 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Short learning curve, more information faster
- By FlyingPops from Calvert City KY USA on Friday, July 26, 2019
- Pros: Easy to use, battery life good.
- Cons: Haven't found any yet.
- Review: Very easy to learn to use and get more information faster than using a wiz wheel.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 18 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Great product
- Verified Purchase
Awesome accuracy
- Verified Purchase
Easy to use calculator
- By A Customer from Phoenix AZ USA on Friday, October 12, 2018
- Pros: Easy to use, menu driven functions
- Cons: None
- Review: Great calculator that made exam and practical entries easy. The necessary functions are easy to find and the memory function helps with calculations not already carried over from one function to another.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 18 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
- Verified Purchase
CX3
- By Jim from Spokane Valley WA USA on Tuesday, March 12, 2019
- Pros: Approved for exam
- Cons: Reset function?
- Review: Although today’s electronic equipment can do appreciably more this little guy will help you on your pilot exam and it is approved by FAA.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 18 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
- Verified Purchase
- Verified Purchase
A must have!
- By Robbie from Mound City MO USA on Tuesday, December 29, 2020
- Pros: Takes out a lot of variances trying to follow graphs and charts for answers.
- Cons: I have no cons for this product.
- Review: Invaluable for the new pilot working towards written exams. Several You Tube videos showing different ways to solve the various problems. Much easier than the manual computer.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 17 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
- Verified Purchase
I'm Glad I purchased this!
- By A Customer from Avondale Estates GA USA on Saturday, November 22, 2025
- Pros: Makes life easy
- Cons: I've yet to find them
- Review: It more than met my expectations. Once in my hands I could further explore all of it's capabilities. Great for flight planning, wind correction, density alt, etc., and more.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 3 Other people found this review helpful.
Verified Purchase
As expected, quality is good. UI is decent, if not at Apple levels.
- By Jay from Oakland CA USA on Thursday, July 23, 2020
- Pros: Good build quality, acceptable UI.
- Cons: Needs batteries, does not do the dishes.
- Review:
So if you tend to be a number puncher, this is probably the best solution for you.
The display is clear and not hard to read, even if your eyes are over 50. The keypad is well spaced, not cramped, so that's pretty good. The menu system will require some familiarization, but it's not a UI nightmare like, say, an older Icom radio. You don't have to have the manual open next to it in order to use it. It might not be as pretty as an apple product, but it gets the job done and looks decent enough doing it.
Some prefer the E6B, and with appropriate training, I can see where that might be faster for some functions. I have both, I'd probably fly with an E6B if I had to choose, but now that I think about it, I don't have to.
Electronics are more fragile, although I have to say the CX-3 seems to be pretty solid. Of course that doesn't help when you forget to check batteries, so have a battery item on your checklist for all your "dead battery holders" in your flight bag.
Where this shines would be in flight planning where stored data adds convenience. Also during knowledge tests (no stored data allowed there).
Both approaches will require some effort to become comfortable with the procedures, nothing is magic. If you want an electronic flight computer that is test legal, then this is probably best of breed. - Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 28 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Seems to be a good, useful aviation planning device
- By Bob from Cedar Mountain NC USA on Thursday, October 11, 2018
- Pros: It is small & light weight. The screen is bright enough to see in sunlight.
- Cons: The cover should slide on/off like the CX-2. Easier to operate wearing flight gloves that way.
- Review: This unit was purchased to replace the previous CX-2 flight computer, which over time, failed to work correctly & became unreliable. The "flow pattern" of needed computations is good; the stored data from the previous calculation is carried forward to the next calculation, as in pressure altitude to density altitude. The unit can do many calculations, and it does take some study to become familiar with all that the CX-3 can do, but so far no major learning curve issues.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 20 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Great tool!
- By Dr. Nic from Okemos MI USA on Friday, October 12, 2018
- Pros: Nice, simple UI, firm positive button feel, clear display and appropriate selection of algorithms. Attractive case and rugged. Good job.
- Cons: For its purpose, I have no complaints
- Review: I just passed my FAA Knowledge exam with a 95% using the CX-3 during the exam and during the online training by Gleim. I much prefer the CX-3 to the slide rule-like E6B computer. I used slide rules all through my initial education as an engineer during the 60's and I do not want to go back there. I recognize the issue with batteries and loss of function compared to the E6Bs and that's why I have two CX-3s; one as a back up.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 19 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
For the intuitive
- By Ken on Thursday, December 27, 2018
- Pros: Simply layout
- Cons: No instruction manual. Multiple screens required for simple tasks
- Review: The CX-3 is good; although I think Sporty's Flight Computer is better laid out and easier to use. Leg time functionality is also unusual in that it is featured outside of the wind correction function so a calculation normally done in one screen in other flight computers has to be performed in two separate screens, i.e. work out wind correction based on TAS, wind direction, wind speed, etc, and then take the ground speed from the calculation into another screen and input that against the leg distance to determine the leg time. Clunky but quite functional.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 19 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Good purchase for me
- By A Customer from GEORGIA on Wednesday, May 9, 2018
- Review: I'm still learning all the different ways to use it. I don't know that I had to have it, but I think it was a good purchase for me. Good price from a good store.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 18 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Happy to have it !
- By MAC Hvy 640629 from Worthington MA USA on Friday, August 9, 2019
- Pros: Fast, accurate, with a good display.
- Cons: Received no manual in the box. Learned on YouTube.
- Review: Meets my needs and beyond. I’ve been using the CX-3 while studying for the PP written and find it faster than the classic whiz wheel. I have been through two sets of batteries in three weeks. Bring a set of four along in your headset bag as backup.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 17 Other people found this review helpful.
- Verified Purchase
Maybe Yes Maybe No
- By Don in Tulsa from Tulsa, Ok on Tuesday, February 2, 2021
- Pros: I was disappointed in the weight and balance features. I was hoping for better what if calculations, like if I move this where will my new CG be or I need this number what needs to be moved. I contacted tech support about this and was told to review the manual which I did again. I emailed again explaining again what I was looking for, no reply this time. I would have returned it since I wasn’t using it but was a day late. I would recommend buying the Sporty’s model it’s a better value.
- Cons:
- Review: Well built solid construction I Really like the feel of the buttons. Many good features for new pilots.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 28 Other people found this review helpful.
Good but VERY annoying!
- By Michael Morris from Florida on Friday, September 20, 2024
- Pros: Very accurate, calculates things as one would expect
- Cons: Unable to clear data from any program... previous numbers just hang around and it's horrible!
- Review: So while this does pretty much everything I need it to do, it's absolutely CRAZY that you cannot clear the thing. There is just no excuse it not being able to "easily, as in one button" erase all the data in a particular program of any computer.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 21 Other people found this review helpful.
Maybe Yes Maybe No
- By Don in Tulsa from Tulsa, Ok on Wednesday, January 20, 2021
- Pros: I was disappointed in the weight and balance features. I was hoping for better what if calculations, like if I move this where will my new CG be or I need this number what needs to be moved. I contacted tech support about this and was told to review the manual which I did again. I emailed again explaining again what I was looking for, no reply this time. I would have returned it since I wasn’t using it but was a day late. I would recommend buying the Sporty’s model it’s a better value.
- Cons:
- Review: Well built solid construction I Really like the feel of the buttons. Many good features for new pilots.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 21 Other people found this review helpful.
Verified Purchase
- By on Monday, May 26, 2025
- Review:
Let's face it - there are much cheaper phone/tablet apps that are way more powerful and convenient than this calculator, which I only bought so that I can use it in FAA knowledge tests and not have to deal with whatever approved device the test centers may have or using a disc-and-slide carton E6B.
For what this calculator does it is way overpriced - half should be the absolute max. The software is very 80s/90s, but functional enough to help you solve most FAA test problems (except for the weight shift formula, which is poorly designed and not very helpful to punch in the info from the test questions).
What I do like are the possible parameter inline calculations and unit conversions as well as the backlit keyboard.
The BKSP button is easily confused with the BACK button - well-known industry standard icons for both would have been a better idea.
The battery cover design is terrible (you have to pull off the entire back, putting a lot of stress on the parts). The front cover fits on the backside but doesn't stay on by itself, another design oversight.
By and large - of the approved FAA test calculators this is probably the most functional one, but that was a low bar to clear, and they didn't make much of an effort to make it much better. - Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 7 Other people found this review helpful.
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