[ARC5] ZB discussion!

[Mike Hanz]

Gee, I dunno, Bob.  If you go to the link to the 29 March 1941 manual I 
gave earlier today, you'll see that the Navy called the ZB-3 by the term 
"Homing Adapter Equipment" and it was used on both carriers and 
(primarily for the USAAF) at fixed airfields.  No mention of navigation 
in the entire manual, that I can recall, but I'll check again just to be 
sure.  The "Evolution of Naval Radio-Electronics and Contributions of 
the Naval Research Laboratory" shows photos of the first ZB, and the 
caption reads, "The primary aircraft-to-carrier radio homing system used 
by all carriers and their aircraft during WWII.  The models YE-ZB."  If 
you want to consider a homing system as a subset of navigation, fine.  
To me, it's not worth debating the fine points of the taxonomy...too 
reminiscent of arguing the number of angels that can dance on the head 
of a pin.... :-)     I think it's clear to all that a homing system 
would be of little use for the original problem of navigating to a 
predetermined Japanese held island with a mission to find and intercept 
Yamamoto.

73,
  - Mike

On 5/24/2010 12:30 PM, Bob Macklin wrote:
> In 1942 in the middle of the Pacific Ocean this was a NAVIGATION SYSTEM!. It
> was the way the airplane found their carriers when they were returning from
> their missions. Carriers are not link airfields. THEY MOVE! THEY MUST MOVE!
>
> What you may consider a navigation system today is much different from what
> was available in 1942!
>
>