[ARC5] U.S. WW II equipment

[Roy Morgan]

On Jun 29, 2013, at 5:04 PM, gordon white <gewhite at crosslink.net> wrote:

>  ...the Air Corps in early 1933 ... fly the air mail in opencockpit biplanes in winter, and had a hard time finding Cleveland, while at the same time those terrible, "corrupt"  private air lines were doing the same routes very well, …

I just read "Wind, Sand, and Stars" by Antoin de Saint Exuprey.  He tells about the some 7 years in the 30's he was a pilot for the French mail service, flying in Europe through (between, not over) the Alps, and later to and across Africa.  The reader can get a very strong sense of pride and admiration for the abilities, bravery, and suffering of those pilots and crew.

He does not say what aircraft they flew, but does mention that they had no radios, and depended on lights at the landing fields to find their way in.  They apparently had damned little survival supplies, according to the tale about how they flew into the ground in the desert, and walked out for 4 days with no water.  They memorized every "stone and stream" of their routes in order to navigate.

I have used dead reckoning to get back to the carrier from 150 miles away in the mid-Atlantic with all navigation aids and radios silent, the ARN-59 to find the beacon on Nantucket from the same distance at seat night, and Gulf Oil company maps to fly around New England on nice days.  I can sympathize with the mail pilots trying to find Cleveland.

Boat anchor content:
The ARN-6 ADF radio used low plate voltage tubes, and ran entirely on 28 volts DC.
Does anyone know of an on-line manual?

Roy

Roy Morgan
k1lky at earthlink.net
K1LKY Since 1958 - Keep 'em Glowing!