"Walt" wrote in message
ups.com...

Bob Moore wrote:
Andrew Sarangan wrote
So, I still don't agree that navigation systems have
advanced to the point where we can abandon the
magnetic based instruments.

Hmmmm....I wonder how we used to navigate 'over-the-pole'
back before INS? Hint....Grid Navigation, an unslaved
DG referenced to true north.

Bob Moore

Way back when I was a navigator on a KC-135 using Grid Navigation we
referenced the DG to Grid North, not True North. Big difference between
the two, although I think I know what you're hinting at.

And, I remember taking a celestial shot every 15-30 minutes or so to
check for gyro precession. That would be hard to do in the Warrior I'm
flying nowadays. :)

--Walt Weaver
Bozeman, Montana

Yeah, Walt. During the Cuban crisis I flew B-52Hs out of Minot AFB, ND.
We flew the "North Country" route. From Minot fly East to the "Black Goat"
refueling area in the Atlantic just off the U.S. East coast.. North to the
Artic..SW to "Cold Coffee" refueling area in Alaska..out the Aleutian chain
to the periphery of the Soviet Union...back to Seatttle; Spokane, Minot and
land 24 hours after takeoff.

The Navigator had to convert Magnetic/True headings to/from Grid while also
observing celestial references for sextant shots. Not the time to have a
weak Navigator. Story was that one Navigator got it all screwed up and
actually penetrated Soviet airspace. Shots were fired in front of the
bomber by Soviet interceptors. The B-52 immediately reversed course and
nothing further happened. As with all B-52s in Airborne Alert it carried
nuclear weapons and could have been a disaster. Due to the sensitivity of
the crisis nothing was ever published about that situation that I know of.

Darrell R. Schmidt
B-58 Hustler Web Site URL (below)
http://members.cox.net/dschmidt1/