NavList:

Hello:

Stumbled onto this movie very late last night; 1953 with John Wayne (a famous actor back in the olden days) and many other famous actors. I have not seen it in 50 plus years. Many of the scenes are quite dramatic especially considering the technology back then. Really shows the technical problems with flight navigation over remote areas. Relative crudeness of equipment etc.  Compass difficulties, difficulty in getting bearings frrrom signals etc. John Wayne was even a bit incompetent when his searchers first flew over and no flares were used......frozen brain. Ernest Gann really wrote some good stuff! I was fascinated by the scenes showing the navigator (a young kid) trying to use a bubble sextant and not getting useful CN data. (Trivia question)--- What model bubble sextant?

My question is the Duke said "they would get their latitude tomorrow". However there was some diffulty and they not determine latitude.... "wrong time , poorly performing equipment".   Huh?  Is this Hollywood fussiness? Easy to shoot noon sun?

I recommend movie, but hopefully you won't see it too late at night. Ugh!

Oh, they all "smoked liked chimneys" and there is a scene of James Arness hacking his lungs out ...... bet the cig. companies loved that.

Bruce