Classic airplane design and engineering films featuring footage of the North American F-107A. Design aspects for airplanes are discussed as well as radar and navigation systems.
Included Films:
Dial D For Design
Dial D For Design
Produced: 1950s
Length: 28 Minutes
Dial D for Design, is not just dandy alliteration, it is a military movie made to introduce contractors to the concept of design for defense weaponry. Weapons call for specific design techniques but the weapons must be standardized so that the people using them do not have to adjust to each new weapon and cause delays in response time. If a pilot has to adjust to different controls in an airplane each time he switches planes, this would cause fatal delays in reaction time. The movie focuses on how the government is improving the design of such things as Bombers while keeping them effective. There are several means of maintaining practicality and we learn all about those techniques. An interesting look at engineering, as well as the administrative process behind making weapons, Dial D for Design, is 1950s military planning at its best.
Sentinel in the Sky
Sentinel in the Sky
Produced: 1955
Length: 15 Minutes
Sentinel in the Sky is the story of how radar was developed and eventually added to commercial passenger planes. An enjoyable fully animated film, complete with kooky 1950s characters, ingenuity and progress is stressed as a human virtue. It gives a brief history of devices that have allowed greater vision, such as the gyro compass, the horizon indicator – a rudimentary history of navigation technology. Fleshing out the technological details, the film examines how radar works. On commercial planes, radar is useful for navigation, storm detection, spotting changes in terrain, and alerting the pilot to nearby craft. Sentinel in the Sky is a nifty way to enjoy aviation and technological history.
