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CAMBRIDGE INSTRUMENTS Pocket-NAV System

The Pocket-NAV System was developed in response to the need for a navigational display that would provide a graphic "real-time" display of positional information and navigation points. The Pocket-NAV is a complete system utilizing the L-NAV Final Glide Computer and the GPS-NAV Flight Recorder. The Cambridge Aero Pocket-NAV was first tested at Bavaria-Glide during the Summer of 1998, again at a regional competition in Newcastle, Virginia and in 1999 at the New Zealand Nationals.

Some Background:

In July, 1998, Cambridge introduced the Pocket-NAV for display of Special Use (restricted) Airspace. It was flown by six pilots at the Bavaria-Glide including the 1997 World Champion, Werner Meuser. Special Use Airspace data was purchased from Hans Trautenberg, the creator of the CAL flight planning program. This prototype system incorporated Cambridge design concepts that were proven valid in a competition environment.

Pilot feedback from the European competition is guiding development of a complete system that is integrated with Cambridge GPS flight recorders and glide computers. Beta test units have been flown by our software developer, and two additional pilots at the New Zealand National competition.

This second-generation system will be introduced at the US SSA Annual Convention in Knoxville, Tennessee on February 25, 1999. It incorporates new technology plus the wisdom accumulated by Cambridge Aero Instruments from over 15 years of designing advanced gliding instruments.

Cambridge Aero would like to remind all of it’s present and future customers that we stand behind what we sell with a two year warranty. If you need technical support, you can call us here at the factory and speak with someone who can assist you.

Please note: Our two year warranty applies to products manufactured by Cambridge Aero Instruments. It does not apply to the palm computers purchased from us for use in the Pocket-NAV system. The warranty period and conditions provided by each manufacturer apply to their specific product.

Features:

The display for the system is a Windows CE based hand held PC with touch sensitive LCD screen. The hand held PC displays a moving map of restricted airspace, turnpoints and the competition task, including the start line. Details of each map feature are accessible by tapping on the name or number. Zoom and Pan functions are also supported by the touch screen.

The Pocket-NAV provides the following:

  • Simple task entry and editing.
  • Final glide around multiple turnpoints.
  • Important information is displayed in large, clear fonts for easy reading and to reduce head in cockpit time.
  • Final glide information for pilots without L-NAV or similar final glide computers.
  • Enter and declare tasks.
  • Add and edit waypoints.

Moving Map:

  • Touch sensitive map with user interface designed for ease of use in flight.
  • Large font sizes and touch areas for legibility and ease of use.
  • Zoom in/out.
  • Track up or North up.
  • Displays turnpoints, waypoints and special use airspace with additional information available at the touch of your finger.

Final Glide:

  • Final glide information can be displayed for the current active waypoint or for the remainder of a task. Without changing pages or selecting and reading arrays of numbers, the pilot can set in a McCready value on the L-NAV final glide computer and see the result on the Pocket-NAV.
  • For L-NAV owners, the L-NAV vector wind is displayed and used in the final glide computations. Wind speed and direction can also be set manually at any time.
  • Differential final glide with L-NAV.

Airspace and Site Information:

  • Will be available on the internet and stored in easily editable text files.
  • Audio airspace warnings, configurable altitude and distance warning margins.
  • The Pocket-NAV reads standard Cambridge waypoint files, and can store several megabytes of data.
  • Enter roads, rivers and borders in addition to airspace.

Task Entry and Editing:

  • The Pocket-NAV displays task information in large, readable fonts. Enter, insert or replace a turnpoint by touching what you want. Our touch sensitive areas are large to allow fast, simple task entry in turbulent conditions. This is the fastest, easiest to use task entry method we have tried.
  • Completed leg speeds and estimated time to complete a task are available for task monitoring and computing "what ifs".
  • Enter and store multiple tasks.

Start/Finish Gates:

  • Start and finish gates are changing rapidly with the use of GPS scoring. The Pocket-NAV allows entering any shape for start and finish gates using the same method as entering airspace information. Straight line and cylindrical starts and finishes can be entered simply.
Page last modified on January 16, 2006, at 12:08 AM