E6B

Here is a history of the E6B using Harry’s collection of historic flight computers.

Invented by Naval Lt. Philip Dalton in the late 1930s.

The name comes from the original part number for the US Army Air Corps.

Dalton teamed up with Philip Van Horn Weems to develop and market a series of flight computers.

The first popular model was the Model B.  Here are a few Model B computers from Harry’s collection.

Mid 1930s he had the  Mark VII.

The Model C, D, and G computers were used during WWII.

Kane Mark VI Dead Reckoning Computer from 1957.

Dalton E-6B Mark 1

Here is a Weems Dalton Dead Reckoning Computer.

Warner Model B-1.

E6B9

Felsenthal Dalton E6B  Mark I.

A friend’s American Airlines issue Type C1.

Felsenthal AN-5835-1 (1944).

Here is another military issue altitude correction computer AN-5837-1.

A.C. Type G-1.

Air Force Type MB-2A.

U.S. Army Air Forces Type D-4.

ASA E6B.

APR E6B.

Does anyone know why they have the little eye or loop on one side? It is so that it can be secured to a lanyard around your neck.  Early aircraft did not have a floor as we know it today and if you dropped your E6B, you would have a hard time getting it since it would fall between the spars and/or ribs of the aircraft.  You would have to reach down and try to find it.

The flight computer was very popular during WWII.  Along with the US, the British, Germans, and Japanese had their own version.

Here are some pictures of the German Dreieckrechner Flight Computer, invented by Siegfried Knemeyer.

Here is a rare Sanderson SC-6 Flight Computer.  Here is a little history on the Sanderson name in aviation.  The well know Jeppesen was once Jeppesen Sanderson.  That company actually started as Jeppesen.  It was founded in 1934, by Elrey Borge Jeppesen, a pilot working for an airline.  He is credited with making the first aeronautical charts.  At first he gathered information for his own use. Soon other pilots started giving him information to use on his charts.  It wasn’t long before Jeppesen was too busy making charts, that he had to quit his job as an airline captain.  In 1974 his company merged with Sanderson Films to form Jeppesen Sanderson. Sanderson Films was founded by Paul Sanderson in 1956.  Here is another Sanderson SC-4 Flight Computer from Harry’s collection.

For a while, many fuel suppliers had their own flight computer that they would give out at FBOs.  Here is a rare Esso Aviation Products computer in Harry’s collection.

Here are a few that were developed to assist in traffic pattern entry.

Here are a few that were used to determine aircraft performance.  Note the name on them is the Federal Aviation Agency.

Some were developed to assist in ADF navigation such as these from Harry’s collection.

Many aircraft manufacturers made their own series of slide rule/flight computers that were aircraft specific.

Here are a few from Cessna Aircraft.

Here are a few from Piper Aircraft.

Other industries.

Slide rules are very popular in scuba diving.

Retail Sales.  Here is one that is used for price mark up.