Armoury Night Target

[PETERTHEEATER]

I thought you would be at work Peter with data at home.

I agree that it would have been used in conjunction with the camera obscura. The CO operator would plot the track the aircraft by means of its downward ident lights for course assessment.

[PNK]

Off sick with man flu, couldn't be bothered to check last night.

Was this when the triangle started to become the accepted shape for a target? Seems strange, as at that time the circle with cross was the more usual one.

[mawganmad]

Off sick with man flu, couldn't be bothered to check last night.

Ha I know the one, whinge to Mrs about how you feel, lie in bed with one eye open and listening out for the door to shut, jump up and spend day on AIX, and then back to bed before her ETA!

[PNK]

I knew there was a portable Camera Obscura and reference was made to its use on airfields not blessed with a permanent building. However something I didn't expect was that between the 16th and 20th April 1928, 207 sqn made daily raids on Camera Obscura Targets in the western districts of London and in Birmingham, "with varying success". It seems the portable version was used more widly, rather like the later Infra-red targets.

[PETERTHEEATER]

The principle of the camera obscura is ancient but using it as a bombing practice aid as early as 1928 is surprising but, given the accuracy in those days, better to drop 'virtual' bombs than real!

[PNK]

As I can't lay my hands on the airfield architecture bible, does anyone have a list of all airfields that had camera obscura buildings and their building numbers?

So far I have

Bassingbourne
Boscombe Down
Oakington
Castle Bromwich

[Arcade Al]

Sorry to deflect from the above request, but having read through this thread and assuming that I am correct in thinking that the target shown above is the one at Oakington, what happened to it? Bearing in mind the recent changes there?

[PETERTHEEATER]

Re Post 26 - Off the top of my head, BICESTER and FILTON both had Camera Obscuras. More when I have assassinated the WINDOWS 8 team!!!

[Carnaby]

Thornaby: Bldg 84, Camera Obscura, Permament Brick, 527/31

[kebecker]

Sorry to deflect from the above request, but having read through this thread and assuming that I am correct in thinking that the target shown above is the one at Oakington, what happened to it? Bearing in mind the recent changes there?

My iPad apple imagery shows most of the technical site has gone. It is not clear what the image date is though