Multimedia Gallery
- Navigation Methods: Dead Reckoning
A standard military drift sight through the World War II and early Cold War eras.
Bats, Samoa (Pteropus samoensis)
One of the first effective models of bubble sextant for aeronautical use.
These aircraft served as flying classrooms for training U.S. Army Air Forces navigators in World War II.
"Black box" refers to more than just a flight data recorder for accident investigations. It often refers to electronic components in an aircraft that monitor or control flight or that support communication and navigation.
Black-faced Coucal and Long-tailed Cuckoo, Pacific Islands (Centropus melanops, Eudynamys tahitus)
Most navigators in the Army Air Forces started as pilot cadets who “washed out” of pilot training, often in a PT-17, such as the one seen here. Good math skills were considered essential for those who made the transition to navigator.
A maritime sextant with a special bubble attachement to the eyepiece to aid in establishing a horizon in aeronautical use, circa 1919.
The U.S. Exploring Expedition included a formidable group of botanists, naturalists, artists, taxidermists, and other scientists.
Captain Charles Wilkes led the U.S. Exploring Expedition, which sailed around the world between 1838 and 1842.