The Aviat 617 is manufactured to the highest possible quality. The computer side with highlighted scales and colour tinting clearly distinguishes the various scales and a transparent, rotating cursor with index line simplifies setting and reading between graduations. It offers the functions for computations of speed, distance, time, fuel consumption and pressure pattern navigation problems and for determining true air speed, altitude and density, speed of sound and Mach number.

All wind triangle problems are solved on the wind side with the aid of a high definition wind arm and finely engineered slide with coloured lettering for maximum clarity.

In addition to the scale for the usual distance-time speed problems, fuel consumption and wind triangle computations, the Aviat 617 has scales for rapid conversion between British/US and Metric units of measurement, as well as for liquid measures at various specific gravities, to their equivalents in pounds weight or kilos. Special scales or marks are provided for the determination of true air speed, true altitude and density altitude, speed of sound and Mach number, as well as for the solution of problems in pressure pattern navigation