Please help me ID this vintage aircraft items...

[rwanttaja]

This has some similarities to a Battenberg Course Indicator:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battenb...urse_indicator

Other options include an artillery or torpedo plotter. It has some similarities to a pelorus, too, but it doesn't have the sighting notches.

Ran the trapline with a Fly Baby friend who's retired from the RCN. He ran it through HIS trapline, and this came back:

It's likely a Battenberg relative velocity calculator or a knock off by a Commonwealth country. I was still using them for Fleet manoeuvres in 1994 with the Australians.

Of course, a relative velocity calculator can be used for many other things than Fleet Manoeuvring. Torpedo firing solutions (which is, after all, a rel-vel calculation between the torpedo and target), relative wind calculations, etc.

There is usually a third arm which may be missing in this example.

I'd be interested in it if the other Ron doesn't scarf it up.

Ron Wanttaja

[Merlin]

Ran the trapline with a Fly Baby friend who's retired from the RCN. He ran it through HIS trapline, and this came back:

It's likely a Battenberg relative velocity calculator or a knock off by a Commonwealth country. I was still using them for Fleet manoeuvres in 1994 with the Australians.

Of course, a relative velocity calculator can be used for many other things than Fleet Manoeuvring. Torpedo firing solutions (which is, after all, a rel-vel calculation between the torpedo and target), relative wind calculations, etc.

There is usually a third arm which may be missing in this example.

I'd be interested in it if the other Ron doesn't scarf it up.

Ron Wanttaja

Hi Ron,

Many thanks for roping your buddy in...

I took the arms off when I gave it a cursory polish, a few weeks ago. There doesn't seem to be any missing arms (or place for them to mount).

I've let Ron know that a local museum has expressed interest in talking to me about some of the items. I have given them exclusivity until we speak, which may only be in a few weeks. I'll be sure to let you gents know, as soon as I know anything.

On a related note, here is another photo of the tank, to give you an idea of the size...



Kind regards,

Nic

[Dana]

Not exactly the same but close... this is a Curtiss Pusher:

[Merlin]

Not exactly the same but close... this is a Curtiss Pusher:

Dana, I'm speechless. :o

Wow! Thank you.

I went back to go and see the old chap this weekend and I quizzed him (again) about this tank... He racked his brain and eventually told me, unprompted, that he thought it was from an early flyer, so I think you're spot on.

This has to be one of the most awesome items in my eclectic collection of goodies.

Kind regards,

Nic

[Merlin]

Hello everyone,

I also have this brass nozzle, which we believe to be for AvGas...



Would you concur, and if so, are you able to provide any more information on it, please?

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Nic

[Dana]

Can't even guess on the nozzle, but it looks like a hack job, where somebody squished the end down to fit inside something that was too small. The scratch marks right where it's almost back to the full undistorted shape seem to support that idea. Could be from an aircraft or could be a part from somebody's furnace that ended up in the junk box.

[Merlin]

Can't even guess on the nozzle, but it looks like a hack job, where somebody squished the end down to fit inside something that was too small. The scratch marks right where it's almost back to the full undistorted shape seem to support that idea. Could be from an aircraft or could be a part from somebody's furnace that ended up in the junk box.

Thanks Dana. It is a rather obscure item... I'll take a close look at the opening and snap a shot of it.

BTW, I have emailed the Hiller Museum about their Curtiss and the navi' instrument... I'll let all of you know what transpires.

[Merlin]

So this is what I received back from The Hiller Museum...

"I’ve not seen either of these before, but the tank resembles the many fuel tanks installed on early biplane aircraft and the navigational instrument seems to be similar to the more modern E6B type of flight computers."

I've also asked a local chap for his opinion and will post that up when I hear back from him.

[skyking135]

As a former Navigator the wheel looked somewhat familiar to me. I found this link to the Imperial War Museum but sadly it doesn't say much...

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30000231

It's certainly a fasinating piece of history. I have an old sextant that was used to for celestial navigation. If you are willing to part with the nav wheel I would be interested.