Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II
Worry not Danny, for both the decimalised compass and clock shared one thing in common, an annual appearance and demise on the same day. If I say that it coincided with the birthday celebrations of the Royal Air Force you may both determine the day and its significance.
It is another feature of the changing scene which this thread highlights that the April Fool has become almost a distant memory. No doubt the fear of injuries sustained by tourists climbing Italian trees in search of the Spaghetti crop has a bearing...
It is another feature of the changing scene which this thread highlights that the April Fool has become almost a distant memory. No doubt the fear of injuries sustained by tourists climbing Italian trees in search of the Spaghetti crop has a bearing...
All compasses are decimalised nowadays. All the binary calculations in the FMS (Flight Management System) are sent to the compass card as a proportion of the whole circle. It's only because pilots can't understand the logic of the calculation that we still use degrees to steer by.
It keeps air trafickers happy as well.
That's what I learned on. In the end I was stepping out of one aircraft with Knots and Feet into another one with Kilometres and Metres. Just to make in easy the zeros where in different places.
It keeps air trafickers happy as well.
Big Pistons, inches of boost, tailwheels, guineas, £sd
FED, you make a fair point about digital technology. No doubt the same can be said of clocks and watches as of compasses, that it is the readout rather than the inner workings that remain in the traditional units. Perhaps that Stanag will happen for real one day!
Certainly one that did happen turned my own world briefly upside down. Wef some date in the 60s all NATO boost gauges were to be calibrated in "Hg instead of lbs of boost. Not really much of a problem if setting your own power of course, the needle went to the same position o'clock for the same power.
On the Hastings though you didn't set your own power, you needed both hands to drive the beast. Instead the pilot called the power and the engineer set it, repeating the instructions as confirmation. On the approach this could be a constant exchange in gusty conditions; "minus six, minus four, minus two, zero, minus two, etc". Suddenly all that changed, zero became 32", and for all other settings you applied double the original difference. Hence minus two became 28" (32+(2*-2)), minus four became 24", etc. Similarly for the positive boost settings.
Some took to it like ducks to water, others such as I had our mental arithmetic capabilities severely tested, and nice stable approaches became instead ever increasing sinusoidal divergences as the lag between the desired power and that achieved became greater. Of course we all got the hang of it in the end, we had to, but I've often wondered if that was not some sort of joke dreamed up by Higher Command. Oh how we laughed!
Certainly one that did happen turned my own world briefly upside down. Wef some date in the 60s all NATO boost gauges were to be calibrated in "Hg instead of lbs of boost. Not really much of a problem if setting your own power of course, the needle went to the same position o'clock for the same power.
On the Hastings though you didn't set your own power, you needed both hands to drive the beast. Instead the pilot called the power and the engineer set it, repeating the instructions as confirmation. On the approach this could be a constant exchange in gusty conditions; "minus six, minus four, minus two, zero, minus two, etc". Suddenly all that changed, zero became 32", and for all other settings you applied double the original difference. Hence minus two became 28" (32+(2*-2)), minus four became 24", etc. Similarly for the positive boost settings.
Some took to it like ducks to water, others such as I had our mental arithmetic capabilities severely tested, and nice stable approaches became instead ever increasing sinusoidal divergences as the lag between the desired power and that achieved became greater. Of course we all got the hang of it in the end, we had to, but I've often wondered if that was not some sort of joke dreamed up by Higher Command. Oh how we laughed!
Last edited by Chugalug2; 26th May 2014 at 09:09.
Hummingfrog, 300 photographs? That's an enormous lot even by today's digital standards. For the 40's it's prodiguous. Your father must have kept the local drugstore (if indeed they, like their UK chemist cousins, did the processing) in business on his own. At 24(?) pictures a roll, that's probably getting on for 15 separate rolls of film if his failure rate was anything like mine was (no auto exposure, double exposures, inadvertent exposures, etc). Given that he was kept busy doing his day job anyway, he must have been stealing every opportunity to capture this special and all too short experience.
Now thanks to his foresight, many many more than he could ever imagine at the time can share that experience with him. Thank you Hummingfrogs both!
The picture you post is immediately intriguing, as we might assume that the city limit sign implies that Terrell is in the direction from which the car is coming. Or perhaps it doesn't, because the 'State maintenance begins' sign implies that the State and not the City is responsible for road maintenance in that direction.
Perhaps it works the other way round, warning motorists approaching the sign that they are now leaving Terrell and that any potholes etc encountered from hereon in are down to the State and not the City. A little thing perhaps, but one that points up the many differences in doing things twixt here and there.
Now thanks to his foresight, many many more than he could ever imagine at the time can share that experience with him. Thank you Hummingfrogs both!
The picture you post is immediately intriguing, as we might assume that the city limit sign implies that Terrell is in the direction from which the car is coming. Or perhaps it doesn't, because the 'State maintenance begins' sign implies that the State and not the City is responsible for road maintenance in that direction.
Perhaps it works the other way round, warning motorists approaching the sign that they are now leaving Terrell and that any potholes etc encountered from hereon in are down to the State and not the City. A little thing perhaps, but one that points up the many differences in doing things twixt here and there.
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Chugalug, and Fareastdriver,
That I should live so long and have so much still to learn ! No doubt it was All for the Best, but I think I'll pass on this one.
Chugalug, IIRC, in Burma some of 5 Sqdn's Mohawks were cancelled French orders (third parties involved: Herren Hitler und Guderian). The manifold pressures were in centimetres Hg ! Count ourselves lucky that we were at least still in Imperial measures. As you say, "how we laughed !"
Hummingfrogs (both) and Chugalug,
What a feast we have in store ! A picture is worth a thousand words. What it (the oil strip down the middle of the road) says about those quiet, uncrowded days "out in the sticks !" More, more, please. I think you were right about the signs (and I think the State Troopers would come after you if you were speeding (55+ in those days), not the local Sheriff (could be wrong).
Fareastdriver,
I hesitate to differ, but think "Plymouth" - entry level Chrysler - (but your eyes are a lot younger than mine). Perhaps one of our transcontinental cousins might venture an opinion ?
A Forum at its best ! Cheers, Danny
That I should live so long and have so much still to learn ! No doubt it was All for the Best, but I think I'll pass on this one.
Chugalug, IIRC, in Burma some of 5 Sqdn's Mohawks were cancelled French orders (third parties involved: Herren Hitler und Guderian). The manifold pressures were in centimetres Hg ! Count ourselves lucky that we were at least still in Imperial measures. As you say, "how we laughed !"
Hummingfrogs (both) and Chugalug,
What a feast we have in store ! A picture is worth a thousand words. What it (the oil strip down the middle of the road) says about those quiet, uncrowded days "out in the sticks !" More, more, please. I think you were right about the signs (and I think the State Troopers would come after you if you were speeding (55+ in those days), not the local Sheriff (could be wrong).
Fareastdriver,
I hesitate to differ, but think "Plymouth" - entry level Chrysler - (but your eyes are a lot younger than mine). Perhaps one of our transcontinental cousins might venture an opinion ?
A Forum at its best ! Cheers, Danny
I hesitate to differ, but think "Plymouth" - entry level Chrysler
5 Sqdn's Mohawks were cancelled French orders
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The French did their best with the decimalised compass, with 400 gradians in the circle. Gradian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
When I was at school, my calculators always had this mysterious 'grad' function for converting degrees to gradians. Wikipedia tells me this is no longer the case; but it also tells me that the French artillery still use gradians. That might explain the old joke: "How many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris?"
To which the time-old answer is 'nobody knows' no matter how harsh that may seem.
And still we're going round in circles.
When I was at school, my calculators always had this mysterious 'grad' function for converting degrees to gradians. Wikipedia tells me this is no longer the case; but it also tells me that the French artillery still use gradians. That might explain the old joke: "How many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris?"
To which the time-old answer is 'nobody knows' no matter how harsh that may seem.
And still we're going round in circles.
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Fareastdriver,
"I hesitate to differ, but think "Plymouth" - entry level Chrysler "
"I thought my personal experience with 1935 to 1960 American cars was pretty extensive so we can call it a draw".
Shows the peril of shooting your mouth off when there is a real aficionado in the House ! No draw, Sir - I retire defeated and deflated from the field and leave you in full possession !
Danny.
"I hesitate to differ, but think "Plymouth" - entry level Chrysler "
"I thought my personal experience with 1935 to 1960 American cars was pretty extensive so we can call it a draw".
Shows the peril of shooting your mouth off when there is a real aficionado in the House ! No draw, Sir - I retire defeated and deflated from the field and leave you in full possession !
Danny.
Reader,
The French did their best with the decimalised compass, with 400 gradians in the circle. Gradian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Well I'll be blowed. I will try to keep this long story short. We were in Bahrain, Christmas of GW1 and no prospect of going home. Two Ground Engineers with an SF crew and we all decided to buy each other Christmas presents. The Fishnet stockings suited the captain fine, but I found in the souk a funny little device, a compass, with what I took to be 400 degrees on it (I always thought it had a Muslim influence). This was my present to our Nav, who I believe still has it today. Funnily, he was taken aback when informed the aircraft compass managed with only 360 degrees
Your post has just cleared up a 23 year old conundrum for all involved. Thank you, sorry to divert, and back to 1940s training, and America in particular.
Smudge
The French did their best with the decimalised compass, with 400 gradians in the circle. Gradian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Well I'll be blowed. I will try to keep this long story short. We were in Bahrain, Christmas of GW1 and no prospect of going home. Two Ground Engineers with an SF crew and we all decided to buy each other Christmas presents. The Fishnet stockings suited the captain fine, but I found in the souk a funny little device, a compass, with what I took to be 400 degrees on it (I always thought it had a Muslim influence). This was my present to our Nav, who I believe still has it today. Funnily, he was taken aback when informed the aircraft compass managed with only 360 degrees
Your post has just cleared up a 23 year old conundrum for all involved. Thank you, sorry to divert, and back to 1940s training, and America in particular.Smudge
An attempt at cross thread transfer
I'm not sure if this will work, but perhaps if it does some of the contributors to this thread might have an interest in this thread. From the link, he trained in USA and Canada, surely a shame that he was unable to share his experience on this thread. If I can get to Sheffield, I will. Perhaps some more northerly based followers of this thread might be well placed.
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...uest-help.html
Smudge
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...uest-help.html
Smudge
Danny
Yes, I understand and I'm not too sure I can get there either. I know I see the passing of someone who would have found a warm mug of tea and a seat in this crewroom, and, after following it for so long hope that perhaps a few of us might manage to pay respects to someone who just never got "posted in". You keep yourself fit for the verbal exercise of keeping us all in order Danny, I'm sure that gives you a bit of exercise most days. Stay well sir
Smudge
Yes, I understand and I'm not too sure I can get there either. I know I see the passing of someone who would have found a warm mug of tea and a seat in this crewroom, and, after following it for so long hope that perhaps a few of us might manage to pay respects to someone who just never got "posted in". You keep yourself fit for the verbal exercise of keeping us all in order Danny, I'm sure that gives you a bit of exercise most days. Stay well sir
Smudge
Even in the USA you couldn't get away from some bull. This was a parade through Terrell to show the flag. My Dad is in the second picture and I wonder what that crossroads looks like today.
I am quite surprised that so many of Dad's photographs came out as his history of taking "RAF related" pictures of me hasn't been good. At my wings parade he took loads of pictures of the wrong "squad" during the march past. I landed a Wessex 2 in our back field in Wales and he forgot to put some film in the camera!!
HF
I am quite surprised that so many of Dad's photographs came out as his history of taking "RAF related" pictures of me hasn't been good. At my wings parade he took loads of pictures of the wrong "squad" during the march past. I landed a Wessex 2 in our back field in Wales and he forgot to put some film in the camera!!
HF
Last edited by Hummingfrog; 28th May 2014 at 08:56.
Hummingfrog,
The building is still there, the company is now called Bass Rutledge Drug and for reference is on the SW corner of the junction of West Moore Avenue (I80) and divides N and S. Francis Street. If you have access to Google earth, search for Bass Drug Company, Terrell, Texas and street view will put you right back in to that parade. Great to see such photographs, they deserve an airing. Hope that's useful.
Smudge
The building is still there, the company is now called Bass Rutledge Drug and for reference is on the SW corner of the junction of West Moore Avenue (I80) and divides N and S. Francis Street. If you have access to Google earth, search for Bass Drug Company, Terrell, Texas and street view will put you right back in to that parade. Great to see such photographs, they deserve an airing. Hope that's useful.
Smudge
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