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Re: Mark V sextant - instruction manual
From: Paul Hirose
Date: 2022 Aug 3, 14:22 -0700
From: Paul Hirose
Date: 2022 Aug 3, 14:22 -0700
Answering my own question, yes the US Navy Mark V is the same as the AN 5851: "The AN 5851 (Army designation A-14, Navy designation Mark V), which followed in 1942, had a successful mechanical device that averaged 60 discrete altitude readings taken over a period of two minutes. The AN 5851-1 (Army designation A-IS) was essentially similar, but could obtain average readings for any period of time up to two minutes. These instruments were heavy, and so were designed to be suspended from an arm installed in the centre of the astrodome. Many were still in use in the 1960s. Production was begun by Pioneer/Bendix and continued by the Eclipse-Pioneer Division of the Bendix Aviation Corporation (as the firm then was)." Deborah Warner, "Celestial navigation aloft: aeronautical sextants in the US" http://www.artefactsconsortium.org/Publications/PDFfiles/Vol5Mil/5.07.Military-Warner,SextantsGr75ppiFFFWEBF%20-%20Copy.pdf Her paper includes an extensive list of references. -- Paul Hirose sofajpl.com
