Military aircraft compasses

[ORAC]

Dan, see my link on page 1.

http://www.seavixen.org/images/docum...esscan0001.pdf

[ORAC]

Aeronautical Compasses - Compass Museum

[boguing]

Originally Posted by ORAC

Aeronautical Compasses - Compass Museum

ORAC, I'm a bit stunned. Pa's compass is on that page, and it describes him as a WWII 'Ace'. So I've just checked on Wikipedia and he's on the list there. The thing is that he didn't tell me anything about it. He led me to be believe that he was an occasional flight engineer and I was under the impression that he didn't learn to fly until he took up gliding post-war.

I'm not sure it's right, so I suppose that I need to get in touch with RAF records - something I've meant to do but not got round to.

Don't know what to say really.

[Dan Winterland]

ORAC - that seems to be the system.

[Pozidrive]

Originally Posted by Sevarg

I seem to remember being told that German compasses captured after the 39/45 unpleasantness had 400 degrees. Anyone know for sure?

That's certainly a common system for surveying in Europe, called Grads or Gons, most pocket calculators can be switched to that option. 400 to a circle, 100 to a right angle, then decimals rather than minutes and seconds.


Dangerously close to the familiar 360, so its worth checking if your last numbered figure is 350 or 390!

[Pozidrive]

Originally Posted by Dan Winterland

...IIRC a mil was tens yards displacement at 1000 yards. Useful info if you are trying to drop a mortar bomb on someone's head.

Its 1 in 1000, all explained in Post #1. Did you always miss?

[ACW418]

John Eacott,

You have a PM.

ACW

[Mechta]

If you watch the weather forecasts after the BBC News in the UK, you will be familiar with Sarah Keith-Lucas. Her great grandfather Keith Lucas, who worked at the Royal Aircraft Factory, invented the aeronautical compass, and following his death in a flying accident in 1913, a road in Farnborough was named in his honour.