Vintage Royal Canadian Astrograph MK1A in Box General Electric 1943

  

This is a complete and original. Canadian Forces / RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) Astrograph Mk IA. A rare WWII-era bubble-sextant-based aircraft periscopic drift sight and astro-navigation instrument made by General Electric Canada under British Air Ministry reference 6B/182.

The navigator looked through the eyepiece upward through the clear dome on the roof of bombers Lancaster, Halifax, etc. To measure the aircraft's drift angle and ground speed by tracking objects on the ground. At night or over water it could be used as a proper marine-style sextant to shoot stars and fix the aircraft's position using celestial navigation. It combines a drift meter, averaging clockwork mechanism, and a bubble sextant in one instrument - one of the most advanced airborne navigation tools of the Second World War. 1 x original instruction booklet. 1 x original operating manual.

3 x spare star filters in tins (different latitudes). Original fitted wooden transit case (very dark blue-grey paint) - Dimensions: 44cm length x 26cm width x 16cm height x 12 lbs.