Navigating Home: How WWII Pilots Found Their Way Back to the Carriers

Рет қаралды 349,034

Күн бұрын

Hello aviation fans
I would like to introduce you to the principles of the YZ-RB system, which helped American pilots find their way back to their home aircraft carrier. As always, I used 3D visuals to explain. I hope you will enjoy the video. I wish you an enjoyable viewing experience and would appreciate your comments and subscriptions
All models and animations done in Blender 3.0 / Autodesk Maya

Пікірлер: 618

@BP-1988 4 ай бұрын

My father was an SBD pilot and flew missions from the USS Hornet (CV8) and the USS Lexington (CV16) during WWII. The YZ-RB system served him well on his scouting patrols, raids on Japanese installations as well as during the battles of Midway, Santa Cruz and the Philippine Sea which got him back to his carrier. The only time he got "lost" and had to ditch off the shores of a remote island was when the USS Wasp was sunk in September of 1942. His carrier, the USS Hornet, was alerted when the Wasp was torpedoed. They asked for their pilots to volunteer to fly their planes to Navy's base at Espiritu Santo to make room for Wasp's planes to land. He and the other volunteers were given faulty coordinates. (No YZ-RB was available to guide them to Espiritu Santo.) He and his gunner spent two week on the remote island with a French planter and his family before being rescued by a PBY.

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

Now that’s a story. Thanks for sharing

@williamcanfield2889 4 ай бұрын

My father also flew the SBD with VS-67 and spent time on Esperitu Santo as well. His squadron deployed in mid43 from CA and returned in late 44 in order train on the F6F in prep for the invasion of the home islands. He said that a night landing on a carrier was terrifying! He came home to my Mom but never flew again. Earning his Navy Wings of Gold (which I still have) was one of the most important things he ever did.

@BP-1988 4 ай бұрын

@@williamcanfield2889 What carrier(s) was he on?

@williamcanfield2889 4 ай бұрын

He was carrier qualified but his squadron, VS-67 was always land-based, initially at NAS Nandi (Suva, Fiji in 43) and then island hopping north up the Solomon Islands chain. They initially flew the OS2U (Kingfisher) and then the SBD-5 in anti submarine and anti troop transport interdictions as the Japs were trying to maintain their presence in the Solomons.

@duartesimoes508 4 ай бұрын

I bet they became sick of bananas for the rest of their lifes! 😄

@frankanderson4176 4 ай бұрын

Many have wondered how pilots found their way back without the enemy knowing, too. Great video.

@kingfisher7960 4 ай бұрын

Its not as hard as this video makes it seem. They had an area the ship was expected to be in and once in range they could find it pretty easily with radios.

@stijnvandamme76 3 ай бұрын

IT does not explain why the japs could not use a radio direction finder to find the source of the transmissions. It only explains how the USN planes did not rely on RDF antennas not why the japs did not try to use RDF.

@ryanm4013 3 ай бұрын

@@stijnvandamme76The Japs were NOT known for their wartime innovation. That would have required a lot of time testing and funds to implement that they didn’t have as the war went on.

@marcdevries9027 3 ай бұрын

@@kingfisher7960 The easy method with radios is extremely dangerous. This video unfortunately does not explain why the Navy developed this system. (which suggest the person making the video does not know). You do not want to broadcast your position to prevent enemies from determining where you are. So a continuous signal for which you can detect the source of the transmission is out of the question. It might not just lead your own planes back to your carrier, but also enemy planes. And broadcast your position to submarines etc. This system was made so that your own planes can determine roughly where you are, but the enemy cannot. The signal is too short to determine the source of the transmission. The enemy would hear it, but not know what the signal meant and thus not be able to determine the source. Even if they figured out how it worked, you could easily change the characters, so they would be pointed the wrong way.

@00kt86 3 ай бұрын

@@marcdevries9027 That's what I was thinking also.

@gearhead366 4 ай бұрын

The Japanese pilots wondered how the American pilots got back to their carriers. How did the Japanese get back to theirs?

@jchan3358 4 ай бұрын

I was going to ask the same thing

@jiyushugi1085 4 ай бұрын

Many of them didn't.... After the PH attack, a line of dye markers were dropped on the ocean surface at the post-attack gathering spot indicating the compass heading the pilots were supposed to follow to their carriers.

@mikaleppakoski5113 4 ай бұрын

They didn't. Their carriers were sank

@119jle 4 ай бұрын

Kamakazi didn’t care

@anthonycavalliotis8736 4 ай бұрын

@@119jleThat's Cold Man.

@ReptileRescue 4 ай бұрын

Well, that is clever, however, being a former US Army communications specialist, I know that you wouldn't have needed to break the Navy's simple random Morse code shuffling system to determine the direction of the carrier. That's the weakness of continual transmitting on a single frequency. One need only have a direction finding receiver and a signal to tune in to... You would have needed a lot more than changing the code daily in order to keep the carriers safe. If one sweep of the transmitter took 30 seconds, and the radius were divided into 12 sectors, then a DF receiver would only have the signal for 2.5 seconds every 30 seconds. But loitering for just a couple of minutes would give you enough information to get an azimuth on the carrier. And...a smart enemy having multiple planes in the air at different points on the compass would get different azimuth bearings on the same signal, thus TRIANGULATING your carrier with great precision. So, I'm sure there was a lot more to this system than explained, and you'd probably in fact want to randomize the frequency as well, and they probably even shut it off entirely if enemy planes were expected within 200 miles radius. This isn't what I would call a secure system, though they didn't have the ability to frequency hop or digital encryption at the time.

@raywhitehead730 4 ай бұрын

You are correct.

@trooperdgb9722 4 ай бұрын

Each of those aircraft would have to be fitted with RDF gear..... was that at all common in the IJN in WW2?

@ReptileRescue 4 ай бұрын

@@trooperdgb9722 Jesus Christ, you're dumb.

@ReptileRescue 4 ай бұрын

@trooperdgb9722 Jesus that's dumb 🙄

@ReptileRescue 4 ай бұрын

Radio direction finders were common technology before the war even started. 🙄That's what the LOOP antennas are on aircraft of the time, which included just about EVERY amphibious recon and patrol plane and bomber.

@chuckguy5815 3 ай бұрын

I have always wondered how pilots found their way back over the ocean. Very clever and simple to follow. Thank you for this great video.

@Dzordzikk 4 ай бұрын

I was read many WWII books but this info is a totally new for me. Thx.

@mothmagic1 4 ай бұрын

Me too, it's something no books mention.

@johnfox2483 3 ай бұрын

It's quite normal - system was probably highly classified - even 50 years after a war :-)

@dareisnogod5711 3 ай бұрын

"I HAVE read..." Good luck with your English lessons ( which you need ).

@SkinniJ 17 күн бұрын

@@dareisnogod5711Awww, someone sounds upset they don’t even have to aptitude to speak multiple languages lol. Please demonstrate more of your superiority by using more unnecessary parentheses and emojis like a child would use in primary school.

@wayneantoniazzi2706 4 ай бұрын

So THAT'S how they did it! I'd assumed it was some kind of aerial direction finding system but had no idea of the particulars. I'll tell you something I learned a long time ago, NEVER underestimate the sophistication of our forbears, I guarantee they'll surprise you every time! Thanks for posting!

@philgiglio7922 3 ай бұрын

Agree, have said for yers if our ancestors had been dummies...we wouldn't be here.

@wayneantoniazzi2706 3 ай бұрын

@@philgiglio7922 You said it!

@TheEudaemonicPlague 3 ай бұрын

Now convince the kids that older people aren't universally computer illterate....heh. Yeah, our ancestors were sometimes more intelligent than we are. For that matter, people look at stone blades/arrowheads/spear points and think "that's so crude"...but when you look at the details, you realize that it took a great deal of sophisticated design work, not to mention extreme skill...and people are still being surprised that stone blades can be sharper than a razor. Thinking that our immediate ancestors were less intelligent than us is the height of folly.

@TheBenNZ 3 күн бұрын

I never realised the navigational challenges the pilots had to face. Very cool system .Thankyou for the vid 😊

@paulstuart4776 4 ай бұрын

My dad flew a TBF Avenger during the war and survived three crashes. I loved hearing him talk of his experiences. I don’t recall if he told me about the navigation, so thank you for posting!

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

You’re welcome. I’d love to hear Your dad’s stories too

@charlie1571 4 ай бұрын

My dad was a turret gunner on a Avenger and he would not say much about his experiences in the war. You should be proud your father was a pilot. The best generation by far.

@paulstuart4776 4 ай бұрын

@@charlie1571. Yes. They were the best!

@duartesimoes508 4 ай бұрын

@@charlie1571there will be never be a better one. And the Avenger was a great aircraft, far better than the Helldiver that everyone loathed.

@charlie1571 4 ай бұрын

@@duartesimoes508 How true. My father used to say that the Helldiver wasn't worth a sh** and he knew from former pilots of the aircraft. I might add that my father was assigned on escort (jeep carriers) from the Atlantic theater to the Pacific I miss him dearly.

@ricardoavilapaulette7060 2 ай бұрын

The way those pilots then could find the carrier on their way back in the vast open sea was a mistery to me. Thanks for solving it.

@x-planed 2 ай бұрын

You’re welcome😉

@stevenslater2669 10 күн бұрын

Another characteristic of the Greatest Generation: They were great at reasoning.

@hifinsword 4 ай бұрын

I have wondered how they did it way back then, having used INS myself. After hours it may drift but never so much that it would leave you lost. Thanks for posting this. Today I learned something new.

@duartesimoes508 4 ай бұрын

I once had a very interesting chat with a former TAP Air Portugal Navigator, which actually took place in the very nose of a Boeing 707, in the Air Force Museum. (It was the former President Mobutu aircraft; its nose and cockpit were fully restored, the rest was scrapped as there was no room nor money for more) He told me that they crossed the Atlantic based on the INS and the system did deviate a bit, but that wasn't a real issue as when approaching the American East Coast they had plenty of time to pick an NDB or VOR and correct the course very much in time. 😀 Nowadays we have the laser operated IRS, which no longer uses gyroscopes, lines up much faster and basically does not deviates, I was told. Both are fully autonomous and impossible to jam.

@hifinsword 4 ай бұрын

@@duartesimoes508 I retired a couple of decades ago. I'm sure systems are MUCH better than when I flew.

@karhukivi 4 ай бұрын

The forerunner to VORs which give bearings in degrees using two radio signals with a phase shift between them.

@pascalcoole2725 4 ай бұрын

This one basicly was verry cleverly encrypted

@fazole 4 ай бұрын

It's a more advance version of the airmail A/N range used in the 1930s.

@karhukivi 4 ай бұрын

@@fazole Yes, and that is still used in a very much modified way in the ILS and glideslope signals, but as two frequencies, not two Morse letters.

@oldmech619 3 ай бұрын

@@fazole. I remember the A/N airways back in 1964. It would drive you crazy trying to listen to it all the time. VOR was a great relief but the GA radios were cheaply engineered and built. The vhf com was all crystal and limited to the radio freq you could effort to buy. Wow! 180 freq Loaded radio. I few with maybe 10 freq. I now love flying with ForeFlight but do my IFR by VOR/ILS.

@stacase 18 күн бұрын

Yes, and the VORs are being decommissioned. KMWC (Timmerman) and KMTW (Manitowoc) in my area are both shut down. BAE (Badger) will remain in operation for the foreseeable future. Simple radio beacons like Watertown's are being shutdown too. How much does it cost to run and maintain one of those, besides not that much. When GPS goes down or is shut down for national security, there's gonna be a mess.

@THE-HammerMan 16 күн бұрын

This is the first I've heard of this. Thank you.

@mineown1861 16 күн бұрын

Fascinating, so simple , yet so clever . I had wondered, now I know how , thank you .

@Tempest32nd 4 ай бұрын

Amazing video. Awesome information given.

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Mate. Hope U subscribed😉

@alaingloster4405 4 ай бұрын

I preferred the British wristwatch system. They had a single narrow beam sweep at 1 rpm, pilots synchronized their watch to the beacon, so if you heard the beacon, you just looked at your watch and you knew the carrier was in the opposite direction to the seconds hand, ie if you heard the beep when the second hand pointed to 3, you knew you were East of the carrier

@kiwisteve6598 4 ай бұрын

That’s very elegant. Synchronising the second hand must have been a top pre flight priority.

@duartesimoes508 4 ай бұрын

Now imagine if your watch stopped. 😰

@AnthonyGentile-z2g 4 ай бұрын

Why did the Admiralty insist on a second crewman/navigator in all their carrier aircraft designs?

@mothmagic1 4 ай бұрын

Personally i think the Anerican system is better. Battle damage may have killed your watch or even taken it off your wrist.

@MC-uy7el 4 ай бұрын

@@mothmagic1Unfortunately the American radio receiver may get battle damaged as well🤷🏻‍♂️

@motorheadrocker6504 2 ай бұрын

Thank you, great video! Playing Il-2 1946 series for a years I always use Hayrake system to find my carrier, and this system is never failed! It is really simple and easy to use 👍

@x-planed 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Mate. Hope U subscribed😉

@EgorCletus 3 ай бұрын

Very Interesting. I'm an old WW2 buff and never knew this!

@ellieprice3396 3 ай бұрын

My brother-in-law was a radio operator on the USS Hancock from early 1944 until the end of the war. The Hancock was hit many times by Kamikazes, especially during the battle for Okinawa. After the worst battles many fighters were low on fuel and needed to find the carrier and land at night. The situation was so desperate the Hancock turned its full landing lights on, (strictly forbidden in wartime) to help them land. Many didn't make it and ditched in the ocean. If a damaged fighter couldn't be moved off the deck it was pushed overboard to allow room for others to land. Desperate times require desperate measures.

@philgiglio7922 3 ай бұрын

The aircrews were forever grateful for the admiral who made that decision.

@TrickiVicBB71 2 ай бұрын

I vaguely remember reading in a book that aircraft had a transmitter to being them back to the carriers in my early 20s. But this 4 1/2 minute video really added a lot of detail. Thank you.

@Marcus-p5i5s 4 ай бұрын

Amazingly simple and brilliant given the tech of the day.

@mahoneg 4 ай бұрын

very cool - Simplicity at work.

@garyowen9044 4 ай бұрын

This is fascinating! Thank you, I had always wondered how pilots found their way back to a moving airfield.

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Mate. Appreciate it. Hope U subscribed😉

@hankb1604 4 ай бұрын

Simple and effective.....usually the best option.

@tazman572 4 ай бұрын

Very interesting. I never read that before.

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Mate. Hope U subscribed😉

@cramersclassics 3 ай бұрын

Fantastic. I have always wondered how they found their way home. As a pilot who easily get lost, I fin their skills amazing!

@littleBrownDwarf 3 ай бұрын

My gramps was a navigator on B17s in the pacific. They would need to locate tiny remote islands for landing using using his hand calculations alone. Using a "computer" which was something like a very specially designed slide rule.

@mike_98058 Ай бұрын

Very clever . Very nice video, not too long, easy too understand.

@TCook-d3s Ай бұрын

Fascinating. That was some genius thinking behind the concept.

@hvnterblack 4 ай бұрын

It was often that planes landed on any allied carrier. Today it is reason for laughter, but in 1940s finding any friend ship when you running low on fuel was important.

@wayneantoniazzi2706 4 ай бұрын

Forgive me if I get the names wrong but during the battle of Midway, towards the end actually, when Yorktown's pilots were informed they had to land on other carriers as Yorktown was critically damaged the following exchange took place on (I think) Enterprise between the Landing Signals Officer (LSO) and one of his assistants: "How many have we landed?" "I don't know, we've already taken on more than we launched!" "HOLY CHRIST! Have somebody check those airplanes for meatballs!" 🤣 The had no idea Yorktowns airplanes were advised to divert!

@hvnterblack 4 ай бұрын

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 I never heard about that. Nice :)

@wayneantoniazzi2706 4 ай бұрын

@@hvnterblack Thanks! I read it in a book published in 1967 called "The G.I. War" by Ralph G. Martin. One of the best books on WW2 I've ever read and told from the viewpoints of the guys who fought it. Split in two parts, the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific it's an incredible read. It also carries into the immediate post-war era as well. All didn't get back to normal as quickly as you might suppose. If you ever see a copy for sale grab it! You won't be sorry!

@hvnterblack 4 ай бұрын

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 And you brought source, book read years ago. Ummm, mad respect.

@wayneantoniazzi2706 4 ай бұрын

@@hvnterblack Thanks! I've got a copy and trust me, it's not going anywhere!

@josephthompson4363 4 ай бұрын

Brilliant!

@Inkling777 4 ай бұрын

A WWII P-38 pilot stationed in Italy told me how he found his way back to his home airfield. He would transmit on a specific frequency giving the regularly change code for his field. Directional finders would locate his position and give him the heading to return to his base. Neither the location of his plane or the field was revealed in the transmission.

@fazole 4 ай бұрын

Unless the base used a remote repeater, wouldn't transmitting to the pilot also reveal the base location to direction finding?

@bradarmstrong3952 3 ай бұрын

Both stations could still be DF'd, but keeping the transmissions short would minimize the chance of being located accurately.

@gregmead2967 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for that very clear explanation.

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

You’re welcome😉

@tonyshield5368 4 ай бұрын

Great factual video, liked it a lot and answered the question I've had for a couple of years. Japanese and British please.

@tin-man5687 3 ай бұрын

Just learned something new and fascinating. Never thought about it prior to this vid. Absolutely simple, yet brilliant, solution. Mega-cool. 😎

@jbrown7403 3 ай бұрын

Great story and thanks for posting! I’ve always wondered how carrier pilots found their way home! Now I know! 👍

@bertg.6056 3 ай бұрын

An outstanding presentation, thanks.

@kenjones2973 Ай бұрын

good little presentation, thank you.

@billotto602 4 ай бұрын

In all my reading about the PTO, Navy parts, I've never heard about this system. Incredible. I've always wondered how they did it. Thank-you !

@richardmeo2503 4 ай бұрын

Did a lot of reading and research for my WW II Book; FATAL FLAWS BOOK 1 1914-1945. Never came across this info before. Thanks.

@stejer211 4 ай бұрын

Great video and not too long, subscribed and binging!

@pauloakwood9208 4 ай бұрын

I learned something new. Thank you.

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

You’re welcome. Hope U subscribed😉

@thewatcher5271 4 ай бұрын

I've Read A-lot About Naval Aviation During World War Two, But Did Not Know About This. Thank You.

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for Your comment🙏

@jamesraymond1158 15 күн бұрын

Very interesting. Many fascinating comments below, too. It is amazing that America was able to fight wars in the Pacific and in Europe at the same time. What amazing fighters we had.

@FirehawkSHD 4 ай бұрын

Looking forward to this since last vids because im very curious about this topic. Hope you find another good yet obscure topics!

@ElbertMarks 3 ай бұрын

Excellent! Looks like the fore runner of the VOR which gives a signal every single degree.

@mode1charlie170 2 ай бұрын

Now that’s something i never knew. Thank-you!

@haroldbeck4351 4 ай бұрын

I've always wondered about this, so glad to find this video. But two questions: - How did Japanese naval aviators find their carriers? - Wasn't there a risk that the Japanese could use radio direction finding equipment to get a bearing on the carrier emitting the YZ-RB signal?

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

I’ll cover that in next video. Stay tuned 😉

@RustySax1949 4 ай бұрын

@@x-planed - As the son of a USAAC veteran, and a student of WWII history, I'm curious to know where you found this information, as it's fascinating!

@tootired76 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for answering a burning question I had!!

@MISTERLeSkid 4 ай бұрын

Learn something new every day.

@Philobiblion Ай бұрын

It's good. I Iike it. Good production values.

@nomadpi1 2 ай бұрын

Thks. I now know something I didn't know before I saw your video.

@chuckcawthon3370 Ай бұрын

Excellent Presentation

@bertblue9683 2 ай бұрын

I can't believe I never heard of this before. The greatest generation kicked ass.

@288theabe 3 ай бұрын

I've always wondered about that! Very cool video!

@chuckvoss9344 3 ай бұрын

Very interesting. First time hearing about this system.

@bob456fk6 4 ай бұрын

I read about one case where the ship's commander had the search lights turned on to direct a flight back to the ship, despite the protocol to leave the lights off.

@skylaneav8r902 4 ай бұрын

@@duartesimoes508You are correct. My CFI’s father was a TBM aviator on that operation. He was one of the fortunate ones who made it back to his ship. IIRC Halsey made the call to light the carriers. I had asked him about navigating back to the carrier years ago as I was curious about it as well. He said they used a beacon “like an NDB” and they “had a localizer they would turn off and on for a few seconds long enough to get a fix, and hopefully keep the Japanese from homing on the signal.” He was up in age when I asked about it, so details may have gotten a little fuzzy by then.

@ellieprice3396 3 ай бұрын

USS Hancock did that.

@MajSolo 25 күн бұрын

fantastic, I been wondering about this.

@herberar 4 ай бұрын

Very interesting!!! Thank for sharing!!!!

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Mate😉

@greg-warsaw4708 3 ай бұрын

This is good stuff - concise and informative. One question that arises in the end is how Japanese pilots handled the same difficulty? Japanese major ace navy fighter pilot Saburo Sakai lived until 2000 and I suppose has left some memoirs or books.

@g-pawmikey5508 4 ай бұрын

Simple but BRILLIANT..

@brucermarino 4 ай бұрын

Thank you from a new subscriber! Two questions: 1. Did not the British have a similar system based on timed intervals and synchronization between the plane and carrier before take off? 2. How was enemy direction finding / RDF thwarted? Thanks again!

@AnthonyBlaize-lb2ez 4 ай бұрын

That was very good. Makes you think of the Navajo Indians of ww2. Out smart the enemy love it😊😊

@peterrollinson-lorimer Ай бұрын

I had not heard of this, answers a question I had about getting back. Sounds like an adaptation of LFR, Low Frequency Radio navigation.

@merkury06 3 ай бұрын

That answers an old question Ive had. Thanks!

@raphaministriesworld7777 10 күн бұрын

Great info. I have wondered how a long time.

@wwill2516 3 ай бұрын

Very nice, I enjoyed always wondered about that

@teacherinthailan6441 4 ай бұрын

Wow! I always wondered about this. thank you so much.

@stormykeep9213 5 күн бұрын

Very interesting! I always thought they just did a timed direction, like 10 minutes north, 20 minutes northwest, etc and then just reversed it to get back.

@moobaz8675 3 ай бұрын

Clever but simple at the same time.

@paulskopic5844 4 ай бұрын

Very clever because it was so simple.

@ezrabrooks12 3 ай бұрын

Excellent Video/Info.

@jimsherman6262 2 ай бұрын

A perfect video

@richardoleson7934 4 ай бұрын

I have always wondered about this exact thing. Now I know and for that I thank you.

@GAFflyer 4 ай бұрын

I was always wondering how they did it. Thanks for this great explanation!

@randyc5650 4 ай бұрын

Couldn't the Japanese have triangulated the carrier location with two separated ships?

@holgernarrog962 4 ай бұрын

Yes of course...I would guess that they sent the signal in critical situations (bad weather, carrier group changed course) only.

@williamcasperson5692 4 ай бұрын

Great video. How did the Japanese fighters find their way back to the carriers?

@russellbertrand3242 4 ай бұрын

thanks v much - often wondered how

@x-planed 4 ай бұрын

Thank😉 Hope U subscribed

@russellbertrand3242 4 ай бұрын

@@x-planed done

@KeithCooper-Albuquerque 3 ай бұрын

Very interesting video! Thanks!

@robertaccorsini4663 4 ай бұрын

Very good. I always wondered how they got back.

@boggy8557 3 ай бұрын

Awesome video! Thank you

@Duke-225 2 ай бұрын

Great video. Please make more. Do you know the maximum range the ship's signal could be picked up at?

@x-planed 2 ай бұрын

Thanks. I think I’ve mentioned it in the video😉

@igclapp 14 күн бұрын

Frequenc y -234 -258 MC  Modulation Frequency 540 -830 KC  Continuous-Wave Morse Code  Letter repeated twice in each 30° sector.  Antenna Rotation  2 RPM  ID sent every 10th rotation. 17  Range 275 miles at 15,000 feet.

@Borsia 4 ай бұрын

I've always wondered about this thanks😊

@AndyClayton-f5x Ай бұрын

I was always impressed by the Swordfish crews operating from carriers in the North Atlantic. Looking for Bismark, the weather was atrocious, stormy, dark, cloudy. There was a navigator on board who could retrace the flight that had been taken. All done in an open cockpit of a pitching plane. Remarkably few were lost. When they got back to the carrier, the deck was heaving up and down by about 12ft, so their problems weren't over.

@kiyoshiotda442 3 ай бұрын

Thank you. This was very information. I think the animation with the aircraft on the 30 degree slices of the compass was a bid misleading because the nose of the aircraft is pointed to the ship when it purportedly receives the signal. In fact, when the aircraft received the signal, the aircraft was likely pointed in some random direction; after receiving the signal, the pilot would then know which direction to point the aircraft in.

@richardblair919 3 ай бұрын

Really interesting, thank you.

@ric247 3 ай бұрын

Very interesting description of the radio guidance system of the time. I just noticed a small error in your diagram of the sectorisation of the degrees on the rosette. It should read "240°" and not 230°. This system was replaced by the DME (or radio compass).