Product Test- Rado Nav Computer

I primarily tested the functions that most private pilots would use. Functions such as great circle, VOR-DME fix, two VOR fix and air plots would probably be more helpful for commercial flying.

The twilight time program worked very well and was accomplished by prompting (as all programs do) for the year, month, day of month with fix name or late and long. of a position, giving you then a very fast readout of beginning or end of daylight in any part of the world.

Area navigation for the VFR pilot on the Swift is a particularly useful program as it allows diversions with very little effort but the aircraft’s actual position would have to be entered first.

I found the weight and balance program fast, easy and fool proof compared to the manual method of calculation. I was also impressed by the flight planning program which computes all data required on the domestic flight plan with the exception of holding and taxy times.

Fifty two fixes can be programmed at any one time by entering the lat. and long. of the navigation aid or ground feature. These fixes could be any location on a WAC be it a town, mountain, friend’s property or location that is known to be suitable to track to when diverting due weather closing in.

As the point is made clear in the manual that fixes entered could be erased under certain circumstances. I would definitely purchase the interface unit and cassette recorder which would allow storage of as many multiples of 52 fixes as required. This saves the problem of having to reprogram at an inopportune time, eg part way through a flight.

With improvisation, the Swift could be hung around your neck to save having to grope for it in turbulence. A brightness control is provided by a thumbwheel on the side. Any difficulty in using the keyboard in turbulence would be similar to using other types of navigation aids already in use.

For those concerned about battery life, the manual states the small lithium cells should last 1 to 2 years when used for navigation only. I carry spare batteries for my torch and recommend the same be done for the Swift or any onboard hand held computer.

The Swift has many functions that I’m sure would appeal to a number of pilots and personally, I believe it to be more than just a ‘gadget’. Its usefulness will only be appreciated after having regularly performed its many functions which, with practice, could be as easy to operate as the old ‘prayer wheel’.

I think this is a very helpful aid to navigation that would appeal to those who fly fairly frequently and are more interested in using the latest in electronic aids. It would be particularly beneficial for single pilot operations as it would allow you to keep your eyes out of the cockpit more often due to its speed of operation.

The Swift Air Navigation Computer is available from Rado Enterprises, PO Box 5629, Gold Coast Mail Centre, 4217.