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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 1457.PDF
FLIGHT, 26 August 1960 297 SYSTEM SURVEY New Decco Displays at Farnborough To be shown by Decca Navigator at Farnborough are the newOmnitrac computer converting Decca hyperbolic to rectilinear co-ordinates and a new distortionless map system such as hasbeen proposed for the D.H. Trident. This will use Doppler with a rectilinear chart overprinted with Decca hyperbolae andperiodically up-dated by Decca signals; or monitored by VOR/ DME; or monitored by rectilinear Decca. Airtech Cloud Base Recorder Now going into production is the new cloud-base recorder designedto a Meteorological Office specification by Airtech Ltd of Hadden- ham, Bucks. It consists of three units, transmitter, receiver andrecorder and is designed to record continuously on a chart the height of the cloud-base derived by triangulation from ascanning transmitter using a modulated light beam. The trans- mitter sweeps a 2"-wide beam of light modulated at 900c/s throughan arc between 10° and 85° from the horizon. When this light intercepts cloud, the reflection is detected by the vertically alignedreceiver unit 350ft away from the transmitter, the receiver being gated by a reference phase signal from the projector. When a cloudreflection is received, the angle of the light projector is sensed and fed with the received signal into the recorder. The height ofthe cloud, calculated by normal triangulation, is then displayed on a strip chart recorder remotely located in the control tower. Witha 350ft base line between projector and receiver, cloud-base up to 4,000ft can be recorded. The chart recorder incorporates a quicklyremovable cassette of paper which will run continuously for ten days, providing a permanent record. A small c.r.t. in the controlunit allows accurate setting of the phasing between reference and signal; and the received signal may be attenuated to reduce clutteron the chart. Complete control and failure warning lights are also centralized at the recorder. All links between the three units canbe by GPO land-lines. The transmitter projector consists of a precision light sourcemodulated by a slotted rotating disc, the 2° beam being formed by a concave mirror on a common mounting, the whole unit beingswept through the required arc by a motor-driven cam. The output of a photoelectric cell which detects the modulated light isamplified in a tuned receiver. A magslip on the mirror assembly transmits the beam angle to the recorder pen. The whole unit ismounted in a sealed case behind a curved plastic window which may be swept by rubber blades for snow clearance. The con-tainer is heated and ventilated and when the projector is switched ott u automatically stops in a position in which sighting holes and the bulb are lined up for precise adjustment. When the case]s opened, the reference amplifier may be unplugged and the complete mechanical assembly can be pulled out on integral railstor servicing. The 900c/s modulation is produced by the slotted rotating disc which is driven by a synchronous motor from the The projector unit of the new Airtech Ltd cloud-base recorder, now going into production. The rotating slotted disc by which the 900c/s modulation is formed is clearly visible. Outside the plastic window are the rubber snow-clearing blades mains supply. Other mains frequencies may be accommodatedby altering the number of slots in the disc—a simple modification. The receiver consists of a photoelectric cell centred oppositea vertically aligned concave mirror housed, widi reference phase unit and related circuits, in a sealed container behind a slopingplastic window and a collimator excluding direct sunlight. Production of an initial batch of 15 of these cloud-base recordershas now begun, the unit having met Meteorological Office speci- fications. Firm orders are on hand for five and considerableinterest has already been aroused both in Britain and abroad. USAF Uses Teaching Machines A TEST group of 14 USAF personnel are taking a 15-week elec-tronics course under the sole tuition of individual teaching machines developed by the Western Design division of USIndustries Inc. A second group will take the same course under normal tuition and the results are to be compared. The experi-ment is designed, according to the USAF Directorate of Personnel Procurement and Training, to investigate the possibility of reducingthe training load imposed by complex modern equipment. The machine being employed is the AutoTutor shown in Londonat the recent Electronics and Automation exhibition. It has two innovations, namely, that while requiring the student to showunderstanding at each step of the course, the machine lets him advance as slowly or as rapidly as he is able. At the same time, itautomatically records his progress and charts his reasoning pro- cess. Each student has his own machine, looking like a televisionset and computer combined, on which he is shown a page of information including pictures and diagrams on an 8in X1 linscreen. After studying the material the student must answer a multiple-choice question by punching a code number on a key-board similar to that of an adding machine. A new page of information appearing on the screen then either verifies his answerand proceeds with the course or explains his mistake and directs him to select another answer. Moving pictures are also shown. Each student's answers and the time he took in selecting themare automatically recorded for subsequent analysis. The test is being run jointly by USAF Air Training Command and by theBehavioral Sciences Laboratory of Wright-Patterson AFB. Swedish Master Gyro THE AGA Company in Sweden has produced a master referencegyro for fighter aircraft designated FLI-25. The gyro unit is enclosed in a hermetically sealed, helium-filled case and has servo-operated gimbals which maintain the gyro horizontal regardless of aircraft manoeuvres. There is also a "parallel guiding device toprevent angular errors due to lurches," according to the initial Swedish description. Azimuth, roll and pitch angles are sensedfor flight instruments, autopilot, gun-sight and, probably, radar. A magnetic flux valve unit also provides magnetic heading for acompass presentation. A globe artificial horizon is used. Edo Loran Sales THE lightweight Loran receiver produced by Edo Corp, describedin Flight for May 6, is now being used or has been ordered by 25 airlines, including TWA, Iberia, El Al, TAI and Garuda.Indicator, control panel and rack-mounted unit weigh 311b and position lines can be directly read from the control panel. Ifrequired, two indicators can be fitted to allow reading of two position lines simultaneously. The vertically aligned mirror assembly of the receiver unit of the Airtech Ltd cloud-base recorder described on this page. The unit is normally sealed inside the inner container, the doors here being open for servicing
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