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JBP:SBB
VI-3
October 23, 1919.

Instrument Equipment of the NC-4.

The party from the Aeronautic Instruments Section to visit the NC-4 to inspect its instrument equipment consisted of Peterson, Mears, Hoffman, Henrickson and Fidel Cordero. The trip was made on the afternoon of October 17th. Mr. Moore of the Navy Department was in charge and gave his assistance in the inspection.

The commander's station is in the extreme forward part of the hull. Just behind the commander, the two pilots sit side by side. The engineer and radio operator have a compartment in the rear of the quarters and fuel tanks. A communication tube for carrying notes between the commander's, pilot's and radio operator's stations is installed along side of the hull. 

All of the navigating instruments are operated by the commander in the forward compartment. In the compartment there is a desk with charts and plotting board. The bubble sextant [[handwritten in margin: Byrel]]was made by Keuffel & Esser. It is held in the hand and is so designed the the bubble and the sun are visible through the telescope when observations are taken.

A set of chronometers are kept in a case and a holder provided so that any one of the set may be used in calculating positions. 

A Conning compass is mounted in the compartment. It has been carefully compensated in position and is used as a standard.

The drift indicator is mounted on a bracket in a position where the movement of objects on the water may be followed. The instrument consists of a graduated circle carrying an eyepiece and a sighting wire about 20 inches long. Th eye- piece is about 10 inches above the sighting wire. The instrument [[handwritten: Pioneer?]] is adjusted so that the object to be followed moves along the sighting wire. In order that this adjustment may be made regardless to the position of the object in relation to the line of flight the sighting wire is mounted so that it may be moved from side to side and still remain parallel to a line through the graduated head. At night floating signals are dropped on the water so that they may be followed. Two adjustable wires perpendicular to the sighting wire aid the navigator in calculating the ground speed by observing the time for an object to pass from the forward to the rear cross wire. The instrument was made a the Naval Gun Factory, Wash.