WWII carrier pigeon message discovered in Surrey chimney
No, no, capot is right. It was further developed after the war to counter not only getting lost, but also getting disorientated in cloud. As pigeons were found to be quite happy flying in all weathers, another bird had to be found to do the job; a duck. Combining the duck with a cat, for attitude control, led to the Cat and Duck method for recovering from inadvertent IMC.
Basic rules for the C&D Method of instrument flight are extremely simple. Here's how it's done:
1. Place a live cat on the cockpit floor; because a cat always remains upright. It can be used in lieu of a needle and ball. Merely watch to see which way the cat leans to determine if a wing is low and if so, which one.
2. The duck is used for instrument approach and landing. Because of the fact that any sensible duck will refuse to fly under instrument conditions, it is only necessary to hurl your duck out of the plane and follow it to the ground.
Basic rules for the C&D Method of instrument flight are extremely simple. Here's how it's done:
1. Place a live cat on the cockpit floor; because a cat always remains upright. It can be used in lieu of a needle and ball. Merely watch to see which way the cat leans to determine if a wing is low and if so, which one.
2. The duck is used for instrument approach and landing. Because of the fact that any sensible duck will refuse to fly under instrument conditions, it is only necessary to hurl your duck out of the plane and follow it to the ground.
(a bear of little brain)
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Regarding pigeon guidance systems:-
"During WW II, Project Pigeon (later Project Orcon, for "organic control") was American behaviorist B.F. Skinner's attempt to develop a pigeon-guided missile. The control system involved a lens at the front of the missile projecting an image of the target to a screen inside, while a pigeon trained (by operant conditioning) to recognize the target pecked at it. As long as the pecks remained in the center of the screen, the missile would fly straight, but pecks off-center would cause the screen to tilt, which would then, via a connection to the missile's flight controls, cause the missile to change course and slowly travel towards its designated target/s."
"During WW II, Project Pigeon (later Project Orcon, for "organic control") was American behaviorist B.F. Skinner's attempt to develop a pigeon-guided missile. The control system involved a lens at the front of the missile projecting an image of the target to a screen inside, while a pigeon trained (by operant conditioning) to recognize the target pecked at it. As long as the pecks remained in the center of the screen, the missile would fly straight, but pecks off-center would cause the screen to tilt, which would then, via a connection to the missile's flight controls, cause the missile to change course and slowly travel towards its designated target/s."
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watch to see which way the cat leans to determine if a wing is low and if so, which one.
The turn itself was indicated by the movement of the pigeon on the panel, which would also provide a coarse VS indication; as it pointed to the destination its little beak would move up in a descent, and vice versa.*
*Unless the destination was 91 - 269 degrees from the aircraft heading, in which case the beak's vertical angle would indicate the reverse, obviously.
Last edited by Capot; 25th Nov 2012 at 13:47.
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Capot,
There is photographic evidence of the pigeon trials from Boscombe Down .... However, the early flights were carried out with a dog rather than a cat. I hope that your detractors will appologise!
There is photographic evidence of the pigeon trials from Boscombe Down .... However, the early flights were carried out with a dog rather than a cat. I hope that your detractors will appologise!
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albatross
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They had a story on it on ABC National News in the US of A yesterday evening.
Can You Help Spies Crack ‘Impossible’ WWII Pigeon Code? - ABC News
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
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They had a story on it on ABC National News in the US of A yesterday evening.
Can You Help Spies Crack ‘Impossible’ WWII Pigeon Code? - ABC News
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Has the D-Day pigeon riddle been cracked?
A coded message from the Second World War found tied to the remains of a carrier pigeon in a chimney contains details of German tank movements sent by a British soldier, a team of Canadian researchers believe.
A coded message from the Second World War found tied to the remains of a carrier pigeon in a chimney contains details of German tank movements sent by a British soldier, a team of Canadian researchers believe.
Some more info from the BBC news website.
BBC News - Has World War II carrier pigeon message been cracked?
Gord Young, from Peterborough, in Ontario, says it took him 17 minutes to decypher the message after realising a code book he inherited was the key.
Mr Young says the 1944 note uses a simple World War I code to detail German troop positions in Normandy.
Mr Young says the 1944 note uses a simple World War I code to detail German troop positions in Normandy.
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He believes it was written by 27-year-old Sgt William Stott, a Lancashire Fusilier, who had been dropped into Normandy - with pigeons - to report on German positions. Sgt Stott was killed a few weeks later and is buried in a Normandy war cemetery.
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That 'decryption' is about as useful as the 'decipherings' which 'prove' that Bacon wrote Shakespeare.
Imagine you're waiting in Britain for the brave pigeon to bring the message from the undoubtedly brave observer, and you got that. 42 is a better answer.
Imagine you're waiting in Britain for the brave pigeon to bring the message from the undoubtedly brave observer, and you got that. 42 is a better answer.
I have always wondered how a spy could travel around occupied France carrying a pigeon. Wasn't it just a tad suspicious?