How did we old pilots do it ?

[John Heaton]

I came across what I thought was a very good question for the old blokes on here - and some education for the youngsters who might drop in to see what we get up to - and how we used to do it - navigate - I mean 

 

How Aircraft Navigated Before GPS (msn.com)

 

and this instrument is what we used -  to answer the Question posed - and a little of my own memories of those days 50 years ago   - especially August 19th 

Edited November 6, 2022 by John Heaton

[boetie]

and I thought you had to plug in a computer

[wain71]

well John that's over my head....I can navigate on the ground with map and compass but up there? who knows, fair play to anyone that could do it the old way, hats off to you..

[Ken Q]

How easily we get spoiled!  GPS, Navigraph Charts, or Firefight if you have it do all the work for us.  My E6B computer sits unused in a compartment of my lap board.  (It's a "student" version, made out of cardboard, but perfectly adequate for flight simming).

 

Ken

[Rodger Pettichord]

The E6B, reliable, cheap, a simple tool for a complex need. Now, let's talk about the marvel of the slide rule!

[Ken Q]

2 hours ago, Rodger Pettichord said:

The E6B, reliable, cheap, a simple tool for a complex need. Now, let's talk about the marvel of the slide rule!

There are, of course, many different "slide rules" for special applications, but the basic math/engineering slide rule is a wonder to behold!  After the war my father-in-law brought a beautiful mahogany and ivory one home from Germany.  My mother-in-law taught a special course on the slide rule at St. Cloud State University (Minnesota).  I, alas, have only the barest understanding of its use, but it's still a marvel.

 

Our "modern" electronics and other appliances are indeed marvelous, but still there are ways to accomplish many of these tasks without them.  As my wife points out when cooking on an open hearth, or baking in a brick oven, food does not care what the source of the heat is, as long as it is properly managed.  Just different skills.

 

Ken

Edited November 6, 2022 by Ken Q

[Patrick Cox]

You left out the watch used for timing distance to the next way point.

[Ken Q]

Nice little article.  Thanks for posting it, John.

 

Several years ago I was attending FlightSimCon at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, CT.  They have a display of the interior of a747 cockpit.  A visitor to the museum was entranced by it, and then asked the docent about navigation, especially over the ocean.  (Before GPS, of course). After talking about VORs, which of course don't work beyond about 200 miles off shore, the docent was at a loss, so I got involved, explaining celestial nav and LORAN.  I forgot all about Inertial Nav Systems.  Was an interesting discussion.

 

The first Sat Nav system predates GPS by a few years.  We had one installed on the old USS Wasp in 1971.  It consisted of a radio receiver the size of a bread box, A computer the size of a small refrigerator, and a teletype.  When one of few nav satellites was overhead this contraption spewed out pages and pages of numbers. At the very bottom was the latitude and longitude.  I still went to the 07 level to shoot stars every morning and evening.  We also used LORAN C and Omega.

 

Years later as a reservist I was assigned to the USS Paterson, A frigate.  In the early 1980s the ship did not rate an issued USN GPS, so the Quartermasters and Operation Specialists pitched in about $10 each, and went to West Marine and bought one, and the ETs installed it in CIC

 

Ken

[musterpilot]

I still got mine in my flight bag like they say the new pilots today are only a flat battery away from getting lost

Edited November 7, 2022 by musterpilot

[John Heaton]

6 hours ago, Patrick Cox said:

You left out the watch used for timing distance to the next way point.

I carried a portable sundial - on top of the dashboard - just like the ones carried by the Long Range desert groups

in the deserts of North Africa

[John Heaton]

8 hours ago, Ken Q said:

There are, of course, many different "slide rules" for special applications, but the basic math/engineering slide rule is a wonder to behold! 

 

Our "modern" electronics and other appliances are indeed marvelous, but still there are ways to accomplish many of these tasks without them.  As my wife points out when cooking on an open hearth, or baking in a brick oven, food does not care what the source of the heat is, as long as it is properly managed.  Just different skills.

 

Ken

@Ken Q

I still have mine from my engineering days in the 50s - surprising how we manage to keep things over the years

 

Show your wife the following video - which shows how lacking we were in the 60/70s for electronic gadgets - but proved how right she was 

 

 

[John Heaton]

12 hours ago, wain71 said:

well John that's over my head....I can navigate on the ground with map and compass but up there? who knows, fair play to anyone that could do it the old way, hats off to you..

Simple way to calculate wind strength and direction - stick your finger out of the little window ---- answer - a strong headwind slowing me down

[John Heaton]

19 hours ago, boetie said:

and I thought you had to plug in a computer

aAAhHHH !! - you are one of those Youngsters I mentioned 

 

I suppose we could have called them  - our FMCs

[John Heaton]

What was special about August 19th 1972  - you ask ??

 

although the pic is a little hazy - but enlarged - you can just make out in the log book - it was the date of my first solo 

Edited November 7, 2022 by John Heaton

[wain71]

11 hours ago, John Heaton said:

Simple way to calculate wind strength and direction - stick your finger out of the little window ---- answer - a strong headwind slowing me down

plenty of wind when I am around John I can assure you...

[Aussieflyer38]

18 hours ago, John Heaton said:

What was special about August 19th 1972  - you ask ??

 

although the pic is a little hazy - but enlarged - you can just make out in the log book - it was the date of my first solo 

 

I can remember the day very well, like who would forget that, but the date, that disappeared with a lot of other valuable stuff I should have stored in my grey matter. My log book disappeared along with some other valuable momento's my ex dumped. I had books and other things my dad brought home after the war (RAAF) just lucky I don't own a gun.           

[Ken Q]

20 hours ago, John Heaton said:

@Ken Q

Show your wife the following video - which shows how lacking we were in the 60/70s for electronic gadgets - but proved how right she was 

 

 

Great video, John.  Certainly a trip down memory lane.  Days when telephones were wired to the wall, televisions were furniture.  Remember Eight Tracks?  And when CDs were the newest thing.  But then we old Coot's were born in a century that began with transportation, with the exception of the rail road, not so different than that of Caesar's day, and ended with supersonic airliners.  But old technology and the knowledge to use does have its place.  

 

Ken