A long story for another time !
ExSp33db1rd.
Now's the time, please!
I occasionally wish I had a sextant to play with from time to time
I'll bring mine (
http://www.celestaire.com/marine-sex...or-detail.html) when I fly up to the Bay of Islands next year and we finally get to meet. My first ever attempt at a position line was a lunar distance, after I had noticed Jupiter in close proximity to the moon, while walking back from the pub in Saigon! My LOP was 12nm out, which was pretty good I thought, considering the circumstances. I also used the sextant to observe the Transit of Venus in 2013, which was very special.
Concerning polar crossings, I remember reading about a non-stop Wardair 707 positioning flight in the 70s, from Gatwick to Honolulu. I recollect that the aircraft was towed to the runway before starting the engines and the go-no go calculations coasting out from Alaska were very meticulous. Does anyone have any details?