NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Amelia Earhart's aerial navigation
From: Paul Hirose
Date: 2009 Oct 28, 21:31 -0700
From: Paul Hirose
Date: 2009 Oct 28, 21:31 -0700
Ken Gebhart wrote: > There is also > an instrument called an Astrocompass which is used only in polar > regions, and therefore not applicable on this flight. The > Astrocompass is aligned by sighting on the tail of the airplane. You're right about sighting on the tail, but polar bit is wrong. An astrocompass would have been useful flying from island to island in the Pacific. It was part of the B-29 bomber navigator's kit: "Once in flight on the way to the [Japanese] Empire, the heading of the aircraft should be constantly checked by the astro-compass. It is the one completely accurate way of checking heading. Checking on heading with the astro-compass does not mean that the compass deviation on a heading is found once and then forgotten. Resort to the astro-compass should be made at frequent intervals." (XXI Bomber Command, "Combat Crew Manual", 1945) -- --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ NavList message boards: www.fer3.com/arc Or post by email to: NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList+@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---