To

USAF has very few boats , used for survival tng mostly. After really great Inertial Nav used in F-4 low levels I had to approve each day  no  conflicts  sail plane clubs,   paradrops or  parachutes  at Spang’s NATO Nuc  training  rts 70’s to  C war end? Mostly rqd as back up for annual qual  check off  BUT nice know you alone could find own way anywhere even if front seat bailed out  .

Now called Combat System Operators,  Celestial  Nav has always been taught for USN, USAF and US Marines.  Only  to run aground due  GPS errors?  US Blue Navy afloat wrong place. .

 Lt  uses a  horizon sextant. I’ve the  air nav bubble sextant issued me to bring that Gooney home in  Sept  ’69 from  Germany to Florida. Over time the  bubble  grows too large , fills the  chamber,  needs   bled off . The  level bubble is the  artificial horizon to measure  altitude. 2 min timer still works for  averaging alt to  the 60 sec mid time. .    It  wasn’t  usable in a C-47 astrodome where  tiny astro compass was the  rqt .Both head and  sextant did not hang level. So one  fix over  E. Channel using a coat hanger  for a hook landed back in Germany  so I forgot about and  it, went  the  entire  week  using guess and  gosh Dead Reckoning between base tacans  about 3- 4 hours   with nothing  but wandering needle after  125 mil range  out then in . Never told the pilots. Std  use was to point to land  starboard and then back down to port coast in. Worked as well as for Chris C. Need a  day’s  air almanac and  star charts for long.  lat’s  a breeze with Polaris we weren’t allowed to use , always took a quick peek to be certain were close  for Govt  work. Funny, got off a  Col Spgs T-39  taking Generals going to Falcon’s  Foot Ball game  after  letting  F-15 contract at St Lois from   Andrews DC.  I’d met a  war buddy flying them . A CA ANG Brig  Gen   had left  a briefcase and came back in own T-39. I walked out he thinking I had  the  case so I’d a sudden 2 hop all across the US as  I got 2nd  ride to LA. Asked  me ,”What’s in the  sextant case, Capt?”  “A sextant,  General ” says I.  Never was asked for it back.  Used to show Tom sun lines on the back deck when bubble still was small. No reason  what  ever’s  not working still set firm  on level horizon un- moving. 

Week’s trip was Germany,  Scotland, Iceland , Greenland. Goose Bay Lab. Andrews  DC where I Got off.   Wx ‘d out in   Losssiemouth S’land   Keflavic, Icel,   Sondestrom  G land  with extra  day each.  Garden spots all.  Goose was my  32nd  bday.

“your recall for 50 to 55 year past events is excellent – I knew the celestial nav article would spark a story or two.”

I’d never carry  4, 1.1 Meg nukes,  and NOT know exactly    what we 6  alone  up there were up to! Always ducked our  heads if ever in Kosovo like Hil and Chelsie but never  was.  Lesson ? NEVER  get caught  unprotected in a  war zone and MOST Ambassadors never are, dumb broad! 

tnx

rjw