Author Topic: Vintage Aircraft Pilot Training Manuals Preservation (Read 438 times)

Wolfala · « **on:** November 10, 2006, 12:55:50 AM »

Troops!

I've worked with Dukemskt off and on over the last couple of years - and during college I acquired several thousand pages of WW2 vintage aircraft manuals. I scanned the following at 300dpi color:

P-51D/H, P-38L, P-47N and A-26 back in Spring 2003
I resumed scanning the P-40 and P-47D series this week when I got a replacement scanner.

My goal is over the next several months is to scan into PDF the remaining documents which consist of:
* B-29, B-32, B-24, B-17, CG-4a glider, Teaching methods for flexable gunnery instructors, AATC Air Traffic Control, P-61, AAF-60-1 Parachute manual - Jan 1945, C-47, C-54, AAF 62-1 Accident investigators handbook, AAF 100-63-1 Military Flight Service Comms system

The question I am posing to HT and Skuzzy is I would like to explore a way to distribute it to the member community, perhaps in a torrent to distribute bandwidth or members only download so as not to chew through bandwidth. The documents are in a deteroriating state, which is the main reason i'm trying to get them digitized. The other reason - increasing our knowlege base. PDF's run about 45 megs in size for 100 pages. Some will be double that size, particularly the B-29 and others which contain upwards of 200 pages.

If members of the community have suggestions, i'm open to them.
Please let me know,

Best,

Alexander Wolf

RTGorkle · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2006, 01:19:46 AM »

Get people to contribute, each enough to cover the cost of DVD media, postage and even for some of your time.

Assuming you are allowed to sell this stuff, you've got the right bunch of people here who'll throw a few bucks at you for that treasure.

mussie · « **Reply #2 on:** November 10, 2006, 02:24:50 AM »

Dam Straight

Airscrew · « **Reply #3 on:** November 10, 2006, 07:42:26 AM »

Yes indeed. Either download or Dvd. Thats a lot of material and time to scan.

Simaril · « **Reply #4 on:** November 10, 2006, 07:49:58 AM »

I'm in.

And I'd have absolutely no problem paying a reasonable fee for those DVDs, to cover costs (and a bit on the side for you!). I'm sure you'd have guys lined up.

Not sure how HTC would handle this though -- they have a pretty firm "no advertising or commercial activity on the BBS" policy. We know that's not where you're coming from, but they might balk at the precedent. Hopefully you'll be able to work something out.

Shuffler · « **Reply #5 on:** November 10, 2006, 08:34:39 AM »

We could distribute over IRC even.... I'd be glad to host material on there... that's the easy part.

Geesh the time consuming work is all the scanning and handling of the physical documents. Maybe some of the AH guys in your neck of the woods might be able to asist in some way.

OVER

Wolfala · « **Reply #6 on:** November 10, 2006, 11:14:31 AM »

Well, luckily the time consuming part has been more or less cut down by software thank god. The old HP 4300 would take 60 seconds per page to scan at 300 dpi, then i'd save each PDF in Acrobat and add each page individually. Process normally took 2 or 3 minutes per page once I figured the ordering out. So in the old school way, a typical 100 page manual would take about 4 hours if done properly and I didn't misorder something. But then I went to fry's and picked up a Canon 4400, which said specifically "Scan directly to PDF with multiple pages, Score!".

So on the new equipment, it goes about 30 seconds per page - and at the end it recompiles all the 24 bit BMPs which are roughly 25 meg scans in of themselves, and dumps them into the PDF at the end of the scan process, 100 pages or so later. Huge time saver over the HP.

Apart from the scanning, my next concern would be proper protective archival of the documents themselves.

Wolf

TMAW · « **Reply #7 on:** November 10, 2006, 12:48:33 PM »

Hey Wolfala
Since I write and illustrate manuals for a living, maybe I can help to reduce the file sizes.
Just a couple questions.
What program are you using to to scan the manuals.? How do you save them as PDF's? Do you use Acrobat Professional or the scanners software?
Are the manuals in color? If so, are they 2-3 colors or 4 color process(color photographs)?
What is the manual's size Length x Width?

RTFM,
TMAW

Wolfala · « **Reply #8 on:** November 10, 2006, 03:25:10 PM »

I used Acrobat Professional. The scanner just saves them as 24bit BMP and exports them to Acrobat and compresses them down to roughly 600-700 kb per page. They are in color, how many i'm not sure - depends on the manual. They are standard 8.5 x 11 with a loose to non existant binding.

Wolf

RTGorkle · « **Reply #9 on:** November 11, 2006, 06:51:46 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Wolfala
Apart from the scanning, my next concern would be proper protective archival of the documents themselves.

Write to a major museum, library or similar institution for their advice.

In regards to DVDs, I'd be making multiple copies of each, using a good brand. Put one copy away, never to be used (unless all the other copies are kaput). Handling of optical media is what wears them out. Scratching obviously. Flexing is what causes the layers to separate.

Ghosth · « **Reply #10 on:** November 11, 2006, 07:53:12 AM »

I'd kick in a few bucks for a DVD. Would also be nice if you can find someone to host the file for a year or 2.

Shuffler · « **Reply #11 on:** November 11, 2006, 08:21:30 PM »

Wow most any flight museum would be interested.... most will even display them and show they are on loan from you.... you don't necessarily have to donate them... I think the flight museum in Galveston Texas would be interested.. I can contact them if you'd like... either answer here or send email.