Cold War Aviation Equipment

[deafchild]

My granfather was a science man who had worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the Army Air Corps, and NASA (special projects), and spent most of the rest of his career as a college professor. A few years ago he died and left behind all kinds of aviation and space related equipment, which my father and I subsequently inheritted just as I was leaving to go over seas for a few years. A couple of these items included: most of a UH-1 Huey helicopter with loads of extra parts, as well as part of a NIKE missile system. Those items have since found homes (my father gave them away, mostly to vet groups, while I was gone.) Now that I am back, finding homes for the rest of the stuff has kind of fallen into my court. The problem is, I'm not completely certain what everything is. So, I was hoping someone on the forum could help. This is actually my first posting, so bare with me if things don't turn out right.

The first item I have is a "Celestial" "Simulator." I believe it to be some kind of visual projection device, for displaying the stars for navigational training. Can anyone confirm or expand on this?

[deafchild]

Some other pictures of the Celestial Simulator

[deafchild]

This one appears to be some kind of circuit board training model for a sikorsky aircraft. The first photo is actually of a picture from the manual. The actual board is tucked away behind several other things and I couldn't get a good shot of it.

[deafchild]

This one is labeled "MISSILE TRAINER", but I wasn't able to get a good enough look around it to find other identification numbers.

[deafchild]

This one had "Satellite Tracking" and "Meteorite Tracking" on it somewhere, but I apparently didn't take a picture of that. I also didn't take a pic of the id numbers apparently.

[Bob Hudson]

Some other pictures of the Celestial Simulator

 

Used for checkout on the the "astro tracker" celestial guidance system in the AGM-28 Hound Dog missile, carried by the B-52 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-28_Hound_Dog

[deafchild]

I belief my granfather once told me that the device in the top image was some kind of laser tube. The two images below that actually fit together, but don't necessarily go with the top image.

[deafchild]

Mixed up the last set of pics. This is the "laser" device, and the two pics below fit together.

[deafchild]

Some kind of Navy Telescope. Its an odd shape, so if someone could further explain the purpose behind that, I'd like to know just out of general curiousity.

[deafchild]

Looks like an old sismograph, but I'm not at all sure what it really is.

[deafchild]

Obviously a control stick, but I'd like to know what to. The unique thing about it is that it has no range of motion (once bolted, it wouldn't move.)

[deafchild]

Two other optical devices. The one looks like a parascope, and might even have a similar purpose of function. The other one looks like a glorified set of binoculars.

[deafchild]

There are still plenty of other things that I didn't post on. Some of them I think I can figure out, some I'm not convinced are military, and some I'm keeping (such as a remote to any early model surv. drone). Still, I'v posted plenty, and if anyone could help me with my big question, "who might be interested in these things?", I'd really appreciate it.

[hink441]

I belief my granfather once told me that the device in the top image was some kind of laser tube. The two images below that actually fit together, but don't necessarily go with the top image.

 

I have no idea what this equipment is, but I find it interesting that it was made by the same manufacturer that made the 1918 MK I trench knife in the Great War (Landers Frary & Clark LF&C).

[gwb123]

Obviously a control stick, but I'd like to know what to. The unique thing about it is that it has no range of motion (once bolted, it wouldn't move.)

 

On some of this stuff, you might try contacting the original manufacturer. Varo Inc., for example, still shows with an address in Garland, TX.

 

 

http://www.business.com/directory/industri...o,_inc/profile/

[deafchild]

I belief my granfather once told me that the device in the top image was some kind of laser tube. The two images below that actually fit together, but don't necessarily go with the top image.

 

My mistake on the first posting with this quote. It is actually the next posting that holds the images refered to.

[Jason G]

Wow..some of that stuff is HUGE in size! And very cool....but the weight on that stuff to move it would be....daunting.

[deafchild]

My mistake on the first posting with this quote. It is actually the next posting that holds the images refered to.

The Radiosonde receptor turns out to have been a meteorological device used in RC-130's.

[flightmac]

The Radiosonde receptor turns out to have been a meteorological device used in RC-130's.

 

While it could have been used in the Reconnaissance "spy" version of the C-130, this could have been a later version of the AN/AMR-1 used on Weather "reconnaissance" WC-130B aircraft, see link at Whiskey-Charlie. I flew on much later WC-130H aircraft in the 1990's with different equipment.

[Fly USMC]

Some very different and unique items.

 

Thanks for posting.