Navigating the Connie L049

[BleriotXI]

Hi people,

I have tried looking this up on the internet but either I'm looking in the wrong place or it isn't there. I am trying to get information on how the crew of a L049 navigated across the pond from Curacao to Amsterdam (and back) in the 50s.
Can anyone here help me? I'd be most grateful.

Thank you :)

Sander

[dirkdj]

It was done by celestial navigation with a full time navigator using a sextant.

I have the old KLM long-range navigation training manual dated 1948 with all the howgozit charts etc..

Would still work today if you can handle a sextant.

[BleriotXI]

Wow, amazing. I thought about celestial nav, but I couldn't find any confirmation. Thank you so much!

I probably ask too much but ehh, would you consider sending me a copy of one or two of those charts? :O

Thank you.

Sander

[Lou Scannon]

The sextant used would have been one of the old type that you hung from a hook in the astrodome. (Perspex dome for that purpose that was fitted in the roof of all long range aircraft).

There was a story that as the Connie was pressurised the Navigator took a bit of a risk standing with his head in the 'dome and on one occasion when the 'dome failed...he got sucked out mid-atlantic.

The secret was to fly either below cloud so that you could get a drift reading off the sea...or above so that you could shoot the sun (and somedays the moon for a sun/moon fix) At night of course you had all those stars that only the navigator could name.

Sadistic pilots were known to put shoe polish around both the drift sight and sextant eye-piece just to pass the time.:ok:

[shack]

As an old long time kipper fleet driver, I agree with the above suggestions but it must be said that the navs. used what ever they could. Yes, celestial if you could see the sky, drift lanes on the sea if you could see the sea, loran if you were within range of a station, consol if you were East of about Iceland, the beacons on the weather ships or if all else failed dead reckoning. I would not say it was a precis science I have a memory of spending some 15 hours out over the pond and the radar man saying "I have land ahead at 250 miles", I asked the nav. what it was and he replied "Europe!!"

If you require any more info PM me and I'll try to remember.