NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: David Pike
Date: 2021 Jul 9, 09:59 -0700
You chaps might be looking for the 'Modified' “Lepetit” sextant, which overcame the problem of the Navigator deciding the best time to press the recording trigger by also incorporating a roll of paper which continuously recorded the index position. The disc marking was retained to calibrate the torn off strip of what looks like squared toilet paper. Don't imagine I'm the font of all knowledge on aircraft sextants. I was looking for RAF Mk8 and spotted the “Lepetit” by accident on pages 127 and 128 of Arthur J Hughes “History of Air Navigation”. Mind you; it looks anything but “Petite” to me. (Before anyone corrects me, that’s another steal. The maker was called Albert Lepetit.)
I know photos of photos from Hughes’ book are usually dreadful, so I’ll wait for a sunny day before trying it. Is it sunny where you are Gary? DaveP
