Flight Computers

[Flying Trucker]

Goodly morning all...

I am posting this here because I think there will be many different thoughts and opinions on this topic from Windows 7 to the Whiz Wheel.

[patchz]

[color=#000000]I have an Abacus but I have no idea how to use it. It is as Greek to me as a slide rule. The rest of that stuff, I've never heard of.

patchz....non-pilot

[Flying Trucker]

Awesome reply Larry...

Now that is something one does not see much anymore.  There is an old brown one around the homestead somewhere, it should be worth a few dollars now...

I was at the bugsmasher field and those silly old retired rocking chair flying geezers got talking about the computers used in the world war two bombers like the Halifax.

I have seen one and it sparked my interest so am trying to do a little research on this unit as they say they were one of the first flying computers.

Wonder why it took so long for the personal home computer to come on the civilian market?

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[Fozzer]

[quote][color=#000000]I have an Abacus but I have no idea how to use it. It is as Greek to me as a slide rule. The rest of that stuff, I've never heard of.

patchz....non-pilot

[Hagar]

I was at the bugsmasher field and those silly old retired rocking chair flying geezers got talking about the computers used in the world war two bombers like the Halifax.

I have seen one and it sparked my interest so am trying to do a little research on this unit as they say they were one of the first flying computers.

Hi Doug. I suspect the "computer" they're talking about was the Mk IX Course Setting Bombsight. http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/pictures_mk_ix_course_setting_bombsight.html
This was a mechanical instrument & not the electronic computer we're familiar with today.

Wonder why it took so long for the personal home computer to come on the civilian market?

That's easy enough to explain. The problem was the sheer size & weight of the components. The World's first semi-programmable electronic computer was Colossus Mk I that became operational at the code breaking centre at Bletchley Park in early 1944. It used 1,500 thermionic valves (vacuum tubes) & would fill a fair sized room. Home computers would not become practical until the development of integrated circuits & microprocessors in the 1970s.

Back to the original subject, we were trained on the Dalton Mk III Navigational "Computor" when I was in the ATC (Air Training Corps). This was the same as those used by the RAF in WWII. I'm sure you've used these yourself. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvk/3893148355/
Again, it's purely mechanical & more like a circular slide rule. Rather bulky but very easy to use once you know how it works.

[Flying Trucker]

Good morning all...

Thanks for the reply Paul...

Hi Doug
No it is not the MK 1X Bomb site.
This unit had a cable or several cables attached to it, fairly large unit, rectangular and it would keep the aircraft in equillibrium on a bomb drop.

If the crew were in the second wave and only chose to drop a partial load this computer would choose the bombs either from the bomb bay or on the Halifax the wings as well.

[Hagar]

[quote]Hi Doug
No it is not the MK 1X Bomb site.
This unit had a cable or several cables attached to it, fairly large unit, rectangular and it would keep the aircraft in equillibrium on a bomb drop.

If the crew were in the second wave and only chose to drop a partial load this computer would choose the bombs either from the bomb bay or on the Halifax the wings as well.

[Flying Trucker]

Good afternoon all...

Hi Doug

Here is a Link I found which mentions the T-1A Sperry Bombsight and the Sperry A-5 Autopilot which was the first true three axis auto pilot.

http://www.glennsmuseum.com/bombsights/bombsights.html

Not sure if this is what was in the Lanc or Halifax.  It would seem to me it was as the Norden units were pretty much in American aircraft like the B17 and B24 however I read where the Lend Lease B24s had the Sperry units.

The museum is open tomorrow so I will drop by to see what I can find out....

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[Hagar]

Just found this. http://www.lancaster-archive.com/bc_t1bombsight.htm

Mr. Vose of Sperry, in making his case for the manufacture under license of the MkXlV optimistically implied that the USAAF would be interested in acquiring the bombsight for use on some of its types of bombers. Later an old Hudson was indeed equipped with a Mk XlV/T1 but the USAAF rejected it because of the requirement to set manually, a wind speed and direction and for lack of connection to the aircraft through the automatic pilot. These requirements were a feature of the Norden and Sperry bombsights.

The decision was made to subcontract the manufacture the Mk XlV to Sperrys where the American version would be known as the T1 bombsight.

[Flying Trucker]

Thanks Doug

Off to the dentist tomorrow and then will try to stop at the museum...

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[Flying Trucker]

Good afternoon all...

Made it to the museum but the chap that new about this unit is away for a month.

I did take a look at the unit, the museum has three of them not including the one hooked up in the restored Halifax.

The unit was made by:
AC SPARK PLUG DIVISION...GMC...USA
COMPUTER
TYPE T-1-A Along with a card that said MK X!V Computer

Interesting unit but mechanical I believe with hookups and many settings.

Guess I shall have to wait the month for him to come back.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[Hagar]

Hi Doug. At least that confirms it's the T-1A bombsight we've been discussing. This was manufactured in the USA by A.C Spark Plug. It was known in the RAF as the Mk XIV. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_XIV_bomb_sight

[Flying Trucker]

Thanks for the link Doug.

I wish my uncles were all alive as one of them flew the DeHavilland Mosquito and I believe the T-1-A was used it that aircraft.

There were some lively discussions around the old kitchen table about the DeHavilland Mosquito, Hawker Typhoon

[specter177]

I just use an E6B.

[Flying Trucker]

That's all you really need specter177...

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug