AIR NAVIGATION COMPUTERS
Thread Starter
It's talked about in the tech log already.
The big whiz wheel overview - free pdf
The big whiz wheel overview - free pdf
My father had two flight computers (because they were USN) dating from the War. One was soley mechanical having a long metal strip graduated in knots that pivoted at the bottom. Similar to the Mk 11A. Unwieldy but chinagraph not required. The other was a fixed rose on top of a box where the slide was replaced by a rolling screen with a handle to wind it up and down. This needed a pencil and I cannot find an example in the above link.
My father passed away and I never did find out where they went.
My father passed away and I never did find out where they went.
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,619
Received 294 Likes
on
162 Posts
Somewhere (I hope) I've some form of flight computer that from recollection is a metal box with a roller section within and straps for fastening to one's knee. Ages since I've seen it. There was also a plastic whiz wheel - they belonged to my dad and were passed to me after he died along with his log book and headset which I know broke while I was using it as a pax in a C150.
The computers are probably circa 1970 as that's when he got his PPL though he was gliding for some years before that.
The computers are probably circa 1970 as that's when he got his PPL though he was gliding for some years before that.
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,619
Received 294 Likes
on
162 Posts
That certainly looks like it as far as I can recall. Wonder where the hell it is...?
Thanks Discorde!
Thanks Discorde!
Psychophysiological entity
I can't remember mine having a lid. The chinagraph holder and knob are the same.
Finally, an Aristo had to be purchased. Take a deep breath. £11. British Rail weekly wage then was about 9 quid - more if you were a driver.
One of SEN's students coughed up and then ran it over with his car. It's possible the car cost less than the computor.
Mine's still in Texas, somewhere. It has a leather case. Memories of putting talc behind the wheel to stop dragshun.
I needed a conversion a few nights ago. I picked up my Coop slide rule - ten bob, plus the cost of a replacement cursor. Another bob. I pulled, 1.88 ratio and then used W10's calculator. I was .00003 out. I made that up, but about that.
That rule was in my left shirt pocket until 9/11 closed our little airline. I'd bought it for City & Guilds work in 1958.
This model was always in my case, but seldom used.
ARISTO FLIGHT COMPUTER AVIAT 618
Finally, an Aristo had to be purchased. Take a deep breath. £11. British Rail weekly wage then was about 9 quid - more if you were a driver.
One of SEN's students coughed up and then ran it over with his car. It's possible the car cost less than the computor.
Mine's still in Texas, somewhere. It has a leather case. Memories of putting talc behind the wheel to stop dragshun.
I needed a conversion a few nights ago. I picked up my Coop slide rule - ten bob, plus the cost of a replacement cursor. Another bob. I pulled, 1.88 ratio and then used W10's calculator. I was .00003 out. I made that up, but about that.
That rule was in my left shirt pocket until 9/11 closed our little airline. I'd bought it for City & Guilds work in 1958.
This model was always in my case, but seldom used.
ARISTO FLIGHT COMPUTER AVIAT 618
Funnily enough, the first time I set eyes on a Dalton Computor was when I was about 14 and in the school cadet force.
Problem was that, even by that tender age, I knew that it was really a computer (well actually just a glorified circular slide rule) because by that time I was using a proper computer for real (our school was one of Donald Michie's guinea-pigs).
People never believe me when I say I've been writing computer programs more or less continuously for the last 53 years.
Problem was that, even by that tender age, I knew that it was really a computer (well actually just a glorified circular slide rule) because by that time I was using a proper computer for real (our school was one of Donald Michie's guinea-pigs).
People never believe me when I say I've been writing computer programs more or less continuously for the last 53 years.
.........the type illustrated by Discorde in post 6,
Ref: Post # 3.. Mine is identical, except that although also called a Mark 4, it is labelled 6B/490 and labelled a ..........computEr.
Manufactured by The Lonodn Name Plate Mfg Co Ltd of London and Brighton, and presented to me by HMQ.Elizabeth.II, via the R.A.F.
Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice.
Last edited by ExSp33db1rd; 26th Apr 2020 at 01:41.
And a jolly good piece of kit it was too!
A picture of the Dalton computor was faxed to the Tornado Navs in Bahrain in GW1 because they continually berated their tanker crews whilst transiting westwards against the subtropical jet. They kept calling "we're late,we're late speed up to 320kts" or similar. Once the turn was made northeastwards for the dropoff, the realisation that we were now early, dawned.
Luvley stuff. I was selected for a free PPL at Shoreham by WD &HO Wills in a National competition around 1968 . Everything provided free and got my first "whizz-wheel". It was the metal version supplied (I think, to Mill crews). Went on to the plastic variants and my fave was just the wheel version. Did pretty much everything and carried it in my shirt pocket for years. Even used it now and then . I seem to remember the whizz kids (pardon the pun) calling it a "Circular slide rule ". Well, they would, wouldn't they ?
..... calling it a "Circular slide rule ".
