Welcome to the NavList Message Boards.

NavList:

A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding

Compose Your Message

Message:αβγ
Message:abc
Add Images & Files
    Name or NavList Code:
    Email:
       
    Reply
    Re: Air navigation records: primary sources
    From: Howard G
    Date: 2025 Jan 18, 20:37 -0800

    Hi Julian

    Welcome – you will find a lot of ex Military Air Force Navigators + civilian air navigators grace this forum. I am one – as a RNZAF Navigator I was a nav on Dakotas, Devons, Bristol Freighters, did a few sorties in a strike master low level but was mainly a nav/Tacco on P3B Orion long range maritime aircraft.

    Air Navigation varies significantly depending on what aircraft you are on and the role – significantly. I am just writing this reply quickly and will try and collect the titles of all the Air Navigation books I have on my bookshelf.

    But just to start:

    As Gary mentioned – Sir Frances Chichester – The Lonely Sea and Sky – haven’t finished this ( up to when he tore his aircraft in half hitting a cable somewhere in the tasman/pacific ( but this really isn’t per se air navigation in the truest sense (he flew a few feet above the Tasman Sea waves reading the wind off the sea and shooting the sun and navigated by this and DR) – bit hairy but it got him there.

    Amelia Earhart by Long, Marie K – The Mystery Solved (this topic creates big input on this forum – an unsolved mystery)
    Vulcan Boys by Tony Blackman
    Back Bearings – A navigators Tale (WW II Lancasters)
    Royal Air Force Manual Air Navigation Vol 1 – Theory and Practice of Air Navigation (AP 1234A – 2nd Edition – The RAF bible on Air Navigation for military navigators
    Gestapo Hunter (Released Nov 24) The Remarkable Wartime Career of Mosquito Navigator and leader Ted Sismore) - ½ way through reading
    The Complete Air Navigator 1936 by D.C.T Bennet (Pathfinder leader WWII)
    Bert Hinkler by Grantlee Kienza
    On Celestial Wings – US Army Air Force Navigators in WW II – by Edgar Whitcomb ( different style of navigation to RAF training) – fast, interesting read

    Just a few of my collection – celestial navigation – quite a few books –

    Well out of practice now but totally interested.
    No old charts kept as all had to be handed in after each flight.
    A lot of celestial air navigation proforma etc.

    Air navigation, as I said – is different for different roles.

    WW II bomber crew seldom if ever did celestial – too dangerous – they used DR supplemented by visual ( which was not often or various navigation aids developed to help)
    Fighters – DR visual map reading
    Fighters off aircraft carriers – WWII – visual, DR, mental calculation
    Transport, P3 Orion patrols – Radar, celestial, LORAN,GPS etc
    Etc etc – I could write for hours but need to sign off.

    There a lot of members with air time that can add to the above.

    Regards Howard G.

       
    Reply
    Browse Files

    Drop Files

    NavList

    What is NavList?

    Get a NavList ID Code

    Name:
    (please, no nicknames or handles)
    Email:
    Do you want to receive all group messages by email?
    Yes No

    A NavList ID Code guarantees your identity in NavList posts and allows faster posting of messages.

    Retrieve a NavList ID Code

    Enter the email address associated with your NavList messages. Your NavList code will be emailed to you immediately.
    Email:

    Email Settings

    NavList ID Code:

    Custom Index

    Subject:
    Author:
    Start date: (yyyymm dd)
    End date: (yyyymm dd)

    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site