Flight Computers

[Noha307]

Time for another list thread! This one involves flight computers. I was originally going to post this in the Load Adjusters thread, but I thought better of it. It started with an attempt to just list the World War II American examples, but it expanded a bit in the process to just include flight computers in general - although still with a military focus:

American, Pre-World War II

• Dalton Aircraft Navigational Computer, Mark VII[1]

American, World War II

• Aerial Dead Reckoning Computer, Type E-6B (USAAC)[2]
• Aerial Dead Reckoning Computer, Type E-6B (USAAF)[3]
• Aircraft Navigational Plotting Board, Mark 3A[4]
• Computer, Altitude Correction, AN 94-27326[5]
• Computer, Altitude Correction, Type AN 5837-1[6]
• Computer, Altitude Correction, Type C-2[7]
• Computer, Dead Reckoning, Type AN 5835-1[8]
• Computer, True Airspeed, A.C. Type G-F[9]
• Computer, True Airspeed, A.C. Type G-I[10]
• Dead Reckoning Computer, Specification AN-C-74-A[11]
• Flight Computer, True Airspeed, AN5836-1[12]
• Time-Distance Computer, Type D-3[13]
• Time-Distance Computer, Type D-4[14]

American, Post-World War II

• Clean Rest Computer, F11F-1F[15]
• Computer, Air Navigation, Celestial Azimuth, Type CP-300/U[16]
• Computer, Air Navigation, Dead Reckoning, Type CPU 26A/P[17]
• Computer, Air Navigation, Dead Reckoning, Type MB-4A[18]
• Computer, Air Navigation, Local Hour Angle, Type X-1[19]
• Computer, Air Navigation, True Airspeed, Mach No., Wind Solution, Supersonic, Type MB-2A[20]
• Computer, Air Navigation, True Airspeed, Wind Solution, Supersonic, Type MB-9[21]
• Constant Altitude Cruise, T-37B[22]
• Range Computer, B-47[23]
• Rest Computer, F3D-2[24]
• Rest Computer, TV-2[25]

American, Post-World War II, Civilian

• [DC-8 Computair][26]

German, World War II

• Dreieckrechner DR 2 (1938)[27]
• Dreieckrechner DR 2 (1942)[28]

Japanese, World War II

• [Unknown][29]
• [Unknown][30]
• [Unknown][31]
• [Unknown][32]

Soviet, Post-World War II

• кнп-57[33]

Assorted

• Assorted[34]

Unknown

• Navigadget Mark I[35]

A few notes:

• For the World War II American flight computers, I have tried to include examples of each variation. For example, when the text was slightly changed.
• The format of the name has attempted to be preserved as it appears on the instrument as much as possible. However, there are some minor changes for the sake of formatting and consistancy.
• Note that the G-I has been misidentified as the "G-1" by many sources. However, the existence of the "G-F" seems to prove otherwise.
• The AN 5837-1 is a Type C-2 with fluorescent markings. It also appears to be identical to the AN 94-27326.[36]
• Just as American load adjusters were single sourced to Cox and Stevens, flight computers were essentially the same way with G. Felsenthal & Sons. However, there were a few other manufacturers, such as J.B. Carroll.
• For a little bit more history on the famous E-6B, CYA Aviation has an article about the man behind it, Philip Dalton.

EDIT (23-06-04): Replace reference for Japanese flight computer.

Last edited by Noha307 on Sun Jun 04, 2023 6:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[lucky52]

I'll throw mine in if you want it; from Army flight school June 1969 at Ft. Wolters. FENSENTHAL INSTRUMENTS CO. TYPE CPU 26 A/P

[Hemiman]

I posted a pic of my Japanese Flight Computer on the WIX fb page. Please take the pic for you use!

[Noha307]

I'll throw mine in if you want it; from Army flight school June 1969 at Ft. Wolters. FENSENTHAL INSTRUMENTS CO. TYPE CPU 26 A/P

Sure, thanks!

I posted a pic of my Japanese Flight Computer on the WIX fb page. Please take the pic for you use!

I don't really check the Facebook page, so thanks for letting me know. (For anyone else, the relevant post was made on May 28th.) Unfortunately, the quality of the picture is too low to for the markings to be legible. Any chance you could post a higher resolution version? (Preferably as an attachment on the forum, if possible. I archive all of the references in my posts in the Internet Archive so they remain available for future reference and Facebook is really hard to do that for. The URLs for the images are unnecessarily long and go dead very quickly.)

[Clifford Bossie]

My oldest daughter grew up with me being in the aviation field, yet for the most part did not have much interest in aviation. She is now grown and very interested in aviation, so for her birthday I bought her an E6B.

[Noha307]

The specifications for the original World War II E-6B can be found on page 132 of Volume 3 of the Army-Navy Index of Aeronautical Equipment:

(Source: Army-Navy Index of Aeronautical Equipment: Volume 3 via AeroAntique)

[Noha307]

I started working on a new post in the Load Adjusters thread before I realized I had already made this one! Anyway, it's still better formatted than my original post, so I'm going to continue.

Like Cox and Stevens with load adjusters, G. Felsenthal & Sons held an virtual monopoly over handheld flight computers. The E-6B is of course their most famous product, but there were others as well. They include:

Flight Computers (Type - Name)

• Type A-5 - Computer, Course & Distance[1]
• Type B-2 - Plotter, Aircraft Navigation[1]
• Type C-2 - Computer, Altitude Correction[2]
• Type CPU-26A/P - Computer, Air Navigation, Dead Reckoning[3]
• Type CPU-41/P - Polhemus Celestial Computer[4]
• Type CPU-55/P - B-52G, Computer, Landing & Take-Off[1]
• Type CPU-73/P - Air Navigation Computer Attack[5]
• Type CPU-79/P - Computer, Take-Off & Landing C-130 Aircraft[1]
• Type D-3 - Time-Distance Computer[6]
• Type D-4 - Computer, Time-Distance[7]
• Type D-4A - Computer, Air Navigation, Time and Distance[1]
• Type E-6B - Computer, Aerial Dead Reckoning[8]
• Type G-F - Computer, True Airspeed[9]
• Type G-I - Computer, True Airspeed[10]
• Type MB-1 - Computer, Air Navigation, True Airspeed and Altitude[11]
• Type MB-2 - Flight Computer[12]
• Type MB-2A - Computer, Air Navigation, True Air Speed, Mach No., Wind Components, Supersonic[13]
• Type MB-4 - Computer, Air Navigation, Dead Reckoning[14]
• Type MB-4A - Computer, Air Navigation, Dead Reckoning[15]
• Type MB-5 - Flight Computer[16]
• Type MB-8 - Flight Computer[17]
• Type MB-9 - Computer, Air Navigation, True Airspeed, Wind Solution, Supersonic[18]
• Type R-1 - Computer, Radar Aid[19]
• Type X-1 - Computer, Air Navigation, Local Hour Angle[20]

These were later redesignated under the AN system:

Flight Computers (Type - Name)

• AN 5835-1 - Computer, Dead Reckoning[8]
• AN 5836-1 - Computer, True Airspeed[21]
• AN 5837-1 - Computer, Altitude Correction (C-2 with fluorescent markings)[2]

Felsenthal also had its own internal part numbers for instruments:

Felsenthal (Part Number - Name)

• FAA-8 - Computer, Dead Reckoning[1]
• FAA-9 - Computer, Altitude Correction[22]
• FAA-11 - Computer, Time-Distance[7]
• FAA-12 - Preset Dropping Angle Scales[1]
• FAA-14 - Computer, Air Navigation, Local Hour Angle[20]
• FAA-21 - Oxygen Computer[23]
• FAA-26 - Oxygen Computer[24]
• FAA-35 - Computer, Course & Distance[1]
• FAA-37 - Computer, Air Navigation, Time and Distance[1]
• FAA-38 - Computer, Radar Aid[19]
• FAA-46A - Dead Reckoning Computer[25]
• FAA-46C - Computer, Air Navigation, Dead Reckoning[14]
• FAA-58 - Plotter, Aircraft Navigation[1]
• FAA-78A-1 - Flight Computer[17]
• FAA-79 - Flight Computer[16]
• FAA-80-B-1 - B-52F Flight Computer[26]
• FAA-84 - Computer, Air Navigation, True Airspeed, Wind Solution, Supersonic[1]
• FAA-84/8" - Computer, Air Navigation, True Airspeed, Wind Solution, Supersonic[18]
• FAA-92 - Computer, Air Navigation, Celestial, Motion-of-the-Body and Motion-of-the-Observer[27]
• FAA-93A - Computer, Air Navigation, Dead Reckoning[3]
• FAA-95 - Computer, Air Navigation, True Airspeed and Altitude[11]
• FAA-112 - Polhemus Celestial Computer[4]
• FAA-123 - B-52G, Computer, Landing & Take-Off[1]
• FAA-156 - Computer, Take-Off & Landing C-130 Aircraft[1]
• FAA-160A - Air Navigation Computer Attack[5]
• FAA-161 - Computer, Pilot's Navigation and Fuel Management[28]
• FAA-174 - Computer, Take-Off and Landing, F-4C/D Aircraft[29]
• FAA-212 - PT Pilot's Computer, Air Navigation, True Air Speed, Wind Components, Supersonic[1]
• FCF-80 - Data Discs for Type MB-8 Flight Computer, F-80[30]
• FDF-39 - Radio Navigation Plotter[1]
• FDF-53 - PT Pilot's Computer, Air Navigation, True Air Speed, Wind Components, Supersonic[31]
• FDI-8 - Mach Computer[1]
• FDW-31 - Mark VIII-C Computer[1]
• FNA-9 - Computer, Dead Reckoning[8]
• FNA-26 - Computer, True Airspeed[21]
• FNA-314 - Computer[32]
• FNA-315 - Computer, Air Navigation, Cruise Control, Climb and Descent Tabulator[33]

A few notes:

• The above lists are not restricted to the World War II-era.
• Entries are repeated across lists.
• Felsenthal also produced a series of oversized classroom models that can be largely identified thanks to a series of photographs mentioned in another post.
• For a good treatment of Felsenthal's history, see a page on the Made in Chicago Museum website.
• A biography of Philip Dalton, the inventor of the E-6B.
• There was also a Mark 3A aircraft navigational plotting board made by Felsenthal that, as a Navy device, doesn't fit in the above USAAF designation sequence.[34] An earlier "Mark A" was slightly different.[35]
• Similarly, a company called American Paulin System made a flight computer for the APS-2 radar.[36]
• A company called Warner made a Model E-1 computer after the war.[37][38]
• Felsenthal even made a "Code Designator Slide Chart" for filling out AF Form 366.[39]