Page 186 shows a diagram of the sextant setup.
--- On Fri, 1/11/13, Gary LaPook <garylapook@pacbell.net> wrote:
From: Gary LaPook <garylapook@pacbell.net>
Subject: [NavList 21892] Re: bubble sextant in U-2
To: garylapook@pacbell.net
Date: Friday, January 11, 2013, 9:36 PM
Interesting, here is a link direct to the U-2 flight manual, the sextant starts on page 192 of the PDF.
https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2012-featured-story-archive/1959U-2_Flight_Manual.pdf
Reading about its operation is appears to be a modified Kollsman periscopic sextant.
gl
--- On Fri, 1/11/13, Paul Hirose <cfuhb-acdgw---net> wrote:
From: Paul Hirose <cfuhb-acdgw---net>
Subject: [NavList 21888] bubble sextant in U-2
To: garylapook---net
Date: Friday, January 11, 2013, 5:16 PM
One of the most unusual sextants was operated by U-2 pilots. It's
described in the 1959 flight handbook now online at the CIA. This
sextant was an optical system installed in the airframe. It viewed the
sky through a glass dome ahead of the cockpit. An optical train brought
the 15° field of view to a display which looked like a 6 inch radar
scope at top center on the instrument panel. An eyepiece wouldn't have
been practical for viewing through the faceplate of a pressure suit helmet.
Except for electric illumination, the sextant was totally mechanical.
Azimuth and elevation were visible in the display. A clockwork
integrator accumulated an average for up to two minutes. The sextant was
fixed to the airframe; the manual says, "if the bubble is far off it may
indicate that the aircraft is not on a straight and level course."
Although it was only necessary to bring the body and bubble together,
best accuracy was attained if this occurred near the center of the display.
The display was shared with the drift sight, which was similar to the
periscopic drift meter on transports and bombers of that era. A pull
knob switched the view from one to the other.
Other navigation equipment included Doppler radar connected to an ASN-6
dead reckoning computer, MA-1 gyro stabilized flux valve compass, and an
ARN-6 radio direction finder.
https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2012-featured-story-archive/pilot-honored-for-bravery.html
(link to manual at bottom of page)
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: http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx?i=121888
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: http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx?i=121892
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