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Mr. Bradley Jones' book does make passing mention with respect to use of
the bubble sextant, but not generally as it became later developed. He,
amongst other brief references states ...

"For air work, it is customary to provide an artificial horizon in the
form of a spirit-level, located in front of and below the clear part of
the horizon-glass. A mirror set over the spirit-level enables the
observer, looking through the clear half of the horizon glass, to see
whether the bubble is in the mid-position. The mounting of the mirror is
hinged, permitting it to be swung down, so as not to obstruct the vision
through the horizon glass." There are no photographs or drawings of this
rig provided.

He goes to somewhat greater lengths in describing the use of the regular
marine sextant and the sea horizon from the aircraft, which seems to have
been pretty much SOP for the era.

I do recall having heard of and seeing pictures of a somewhat similar
artificial horizon rig for marine use, particularly as a sextant
attachment aboard German submarines during WWII,  but have no detail
thereon


On Sat, 26 Mar 2005 10:42:29 -0500 Fred Hebard  writes:
> Apologizing for not having read this book, I wonder when the
> averaging
> bubble sextant was developed.  Plath's "System Gago  Coutinho" was
> released in 1926, but I assume there was no mechanical averaging
> method.  When were sextants such as the Fairchild A10 developed?
>
> Fred
>
> On Mar 26, 2005, at 9:36 AM, Henry C. Halboth wrote:
>
> > There is a book entitled "Avigation", authored by Bradley Jones,
> and
> > published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, and Chapman &
> Hall,
> > Ltd.,
> > London, in 1931, that covers air navigation methods of that era in
> > quite
> > some detail, and covers all the celestial methods then in use,
> both
> > surface and air.
> >
> > On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 12:23:51 -0000 Zvi Doron
> 
> > writes:
> >> I am looking for infrmation on the methods used by navigators on
> long
> >> haul
> >> civil flights in the 1930s and 40s. Several sources mention the
> Pan
> >> American
> >> Flying Clippers, to the extent that Pan Am staff trained US Army
> Air
> >> Cor.
> >> Navigators early in WWII.
> >>
> >> I wonder if there was a book written by any of their ex
> navigators
> >> describing instruments, methods and experience gained. I have a
> book
> >> called
> >> Most Probable Position by Monte Duane Wright that covers some of
> it
> >> but am
> >> looking for more detail.
> >>
> >> Thanks for any suggestions.
> >>
> >
>

   

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