Author Topic: German gunsights.... (Read 2549 times)

Andy Bush · « **Reply #15 on:** November 03, 2001, 10:23:00 AM »

Hi Henning

Yep...that's good info. Here's a picture of the sight. I cannot find out what the range dial on the lower left is used for. None of my aircraft manuals mention it. You have any ideas?

I sent you an e-mail with a forum post attached. Did you get it?

Andy

[ 11-03-2001: Message edited by: Andy Bush ]

Wilbus · « **Reply #16 on:** November 03, 2001, 12:38:00 PM »

The A8 could carry underwing 20mm gondollas aswell as 30mm underwing gondolas, imgaine an A8 with 20mm and 30mm in wings + underwing gondollas.

HoHun · « **Reply #17 on:** November 03, 2001, 03:26:00 PM »

Hi Andy,

>Yep...that's good info. Here's a picture of the sight. I cannot find out what the range dial on the lower left is used for. None of my aircraft manuals mention it. You have any ideas?

The picture is right from the same manual page I quoted, but the range dial is not explained there either!

I'd speculate the range dial was mechanically connected with the throttle grip and could serve as a backup for the throttle twist.

However, it's primary function probably was to display the range to the pilot: If you look closely, you see a white arrow pointing at the near side of the range dial, and I guess there was a scale on the dial's circumference. That would be the means of indicating the selected range to the pilot.

>I sent you an e-mail with a forum post attached. Did you get it?

Now that I looked for it, I got it! Request confirmed :-)

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

Andy Bush · « **Reply #18 on:** November 03, 2001, 04:56:00 PM »

HoHun

Thanks again for posting that for me.

Regards the range dial, here's my guess. I think it may be a way that the pilot can tell the sight what range he wants to see, taking into account the wingspan that he has also entered. The pilot then uses the reticle diameter as a measuring stick to estimate range.

Why would he want to do this? Perhaps he wants to shoot at his harmonization range. He then sets this range using that dial. Now when the target wingspan matches the reticle diameter, he is at his harmo range and has his maximum bullet density working for him.

Just my guess, as ill-educated as that may be!!

Andy

HoHun · « **Reply #19 on:** November 03, 2001, 08:25:00 PM »

Hi Andy,

>Why would he want to do this? Perhaps he wants to shoot at his harmonization range. He then sets this range using that dial. Now when the target wingspan matches the reticle diameter, he is at his harmo range and has his maximum bullet density working for him.

I agree, that's just the kind of tactic that requires the range readout. Whether the pilot actually turns the throttle grip or the range dial itself, the idea is to set the sight to a known distance.

Interesting that the range information is not displayed on the reflector itself - obviously, the HUD concept still needed to be invented :-)

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)