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Re: Sextant boxes.
From: Paul Brewer
Date: 2008 Nov 17, 11:23 -0000

Hi Jackie,

I am a small time student and collector of aircraft sextants and from my own observation I would say that the cases used were very much as the marine instruments, depending on age either wood or later synthetic materials sometimes aluminium.

I have a 1937/8 Mk VIII that fits into a nicely made wooden box. A 1940 Mk IX with an aluminium case, the later version used a sort of phenolic fibre board similar to paxolin. The German Plath bubble sextant was housed in a wooden case of considerable size and I have a Russian copy of the Plath which is in a very rough and ready, but obviously original box. A Japanese wartime bubble sextant I have is housed in an extremely flimsy wooden case. Though the instrument is finely made I would not trust my sandwiches in the transit box.

On reflection, these instruments were always expensive and at the peak of the then technology and wartime exigencies aside, would have been supplied in quality transit cases.

For what it's worth there's my five peneth's worth!

Paul.

----- Original Message -----

From: Jackie Ferrari

To: NavList@fer3.com

Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2008 8:31 PM

Subject: [NavList 6559] Sextant boxes.

Dear Listers,

I have two questions that I am hoping someone might be able to answer.

I understand mariners' sextants were sometimes carried in aeroplanes in addition to octants, in the early days of aerial navigation.

1. Were their boxes modified ie made of aluminium perhaps ?

2. How much use were sextants in the air?

Thanks,

Jackie Ferrari
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