instrument ID?

Hi Does anyone know what type of aircraft this came off, i got it from a car scrapyard in 1977. Not much left of the instrument panel when i took it off, to help with id it has s.s.& s.ltd London mk x111D No1542/40. On the back it has ref No 6a/437.

colloquially known as a navigators altimeter!….used on wellys whitleys (with that date!), Stirlings etc

Hard to say as so many WWII aircraft instruments were generic, i.e fitted to a wide variety of aircraft. All I can tell you is that it’s a mark thirteen altimeter that was made in 1940. Perhaps someone here will be able to give you a range of aircraft that used MkXIII altimeters with the height range shown on this one.

Andy

@ Bri

Anyway, what is a British instrument doing in a German plane?

Well that is because the Fokker T.8W’s that the germans used were captured while they were on the productionline by Fokker. The Germans ordered that these aircraft had to be finished for them, Fokker had already the instruments in stock and simply used them for the captured T.8W’s.

As far as I know the Fokker T.8W is the only aircraft that was used operational by both, the German and British armed forces, if there are more I should like to know which type of aircraft.

Best regards,

Mathieu:)

Companies

Reid & Sigrist and Negretti & Zambra were both British companies – in spite of their foreign names! Another two were Ferranti and Marconi…

Negretti & Zambra made accurate barometers and other test equipment for testing flight instruments. They were not part of Smiths. But I think they were incorporated by the present Meggit Aerospace some years back.

Sorry to go on about the instrument you show, but the ‘scoops’ shown at the bottom of the dial look like the scoops that the slip ball tube occupied on a TSI. Did you check the pics on the Spitfire thread?

Anyway, what is a British instrument doing in a German plane?

Bri:)

Hei,

Thanks for your replies! Attached a photo from the entire instrumentpanel from the Fokker T.8W, in this case one from a T.8W that was used by the Germans. I have asked some other people and one said that it could be a gauge to indicate the trim ( angle ) from the aircraft. Perhaps that has to do with when to drop the torpedo. There is an Askania turn & bank indicator fitted so for sure the Reid & Sigrist gauge must have another function.
I am also interested to know more about the Negretti & Zambra company, was it part of Smith & sons or not?

Best regards,

Mathieu

Thank you NC900. There are electrical connections and bulbs on the compass but I dont actually have it yet so can not give anymore details. From what I have been reading about Bendix this was the news I had been waiting (hoping) for. A fiver well spent I think.

To me the Homing indicator is the most probable, the gauge you show has an electrically moving pointer. Turn & Bank indicators are gyroscopic instruments, vacuum or electrical one, the pointer moves mechanically (may be not clear on that one ! forgive my limited english 😮 )

For benyboy, This my closest entry on my database, this must be the same compass with very minor differences, is your compass “lighted” ? anyway it can give you an idea of what plane could use it (the list is not exhaustive).

106A/223 – Compass
Pioneer ; MFR’S Part N° 1809-3-B ; Large Navigators ; Lighted ; Luminous.
B 25 NA62 ; CATALINA PBY ; DOUGLAS C47 ; VENTURA B34/PV1 ; MARTIN MARINER PBM ; LIBERATOR D.

Cheers,

Olivier

Sorry I should have said the instrument is a compass. What I am looking for is age and possible types it was used on.

TSI

I still think it’s a Turn and Slip Indicator – if it was made by Reid & Sigrist. But with some internal parts missing.

Check out the photos in the Spitfire 400MPH… thread.

The other item looks like some kind of radar display.

Bri:)

Hope no body minds me adding another one here. Thought it would be better than starting another thread.The name plate reads:- Made in U.S.A Type No 1809-4-B Serial No H-2619 PIONEER INSTRUMENT. Division of BENDIX AVIATION CORP. BENDIX NEW JERSEY . Thanks in advance.

TSI

Reid & Sigrist (Segrist?) Turn & Slip Indicator, as fitted to many British aircraft of the war years.

Bri:)

Certainly an early beam following device. The photo of the cockpit looks very clear for an aircraft of that vintage.. Can you post the full view, please?

A Radio Direction Finding (RDF) gauge?