Item:
ONSV5822

Original U.S. WWII Army Air Forces Type B-1 Octant by Pioneer Instrument in Transit Case

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This a a very rare navigational instrument, as used on American bombers in WWII. The data plates on the octant and transit chest are identical, and read:

OCTANT
3003-1-B
PIONEER INSTRUMENT
DIVISION OF BENDIX AVIATION CORPORATION
BENDIX, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A.

Condition of the Octant is quite good, though we have no way of testing it. The only issue is that the original rubber eyepiece is now somewhat stiff, being almost 80 years old. The original transit chest, which measures 9.5" x 8" x 5.5", is in good shape both inside and out, and fits the Octant perfectly. There is also a spare bulb inside.

The A-7 was based on the instrument that Pioneer had introduced in 1931, but equipped with a finger activated pencil that enabled the navigator to make a number of vertical marks on a piece of roughened gray paper mounted below the index knob.

After each series of shots, these marks would be visually averaged, and the average time of the series determined from a stopwatch. Although the technique was relatively crude, the Army boasted that an experienced navigator using an in instrument of this sort could "set his plane down at the end of a transoceanic flight within an error radius of only 15 miles, less than four minutes "flying time."

  • This product is available for international shipping.
  • Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Cash For Collectibles