Robert W. Mellette
Charles A. Lindbergh found his way across the Atlantic primarily by using a type of navigation known as “dead reckoning”. In this type navigation his primary navigational aids were his eyes, his compass, an accurate clock,and an ordinary ground map of the land areas he would fly over. He pilotage the pilot records the elapsed time between two landmarks and then computes his airspeed using basic arithmetic. The fact that Lindbergh was able to fly over the Atlantic for over 16 hours, and then end up almost exactly on his planned course was an incredible feat of skillful flying. While it is true that he had one of the most advanced instrument panels of its time, it is extremely crude and unreliable by today’s standards.
The experience Lindbergh gained as an air mail pilot flying between Chicago and St. Louis helped prepare him for his Atlantic crossing. His night time flying through clouds and storms gave him the opportunity to perfect the skills necessary in navigating by dead reckoning. In this type of elementary navigation a pilot uses an airspeed indicator, a compass, and a clock to locate his or her position along a route. Weather conditions or light permitting Lindbergh would look for landmarks and correct his heading if necessary.
Today’s pilots have a host of electronic and mechanical instruments that help them stay on their planned course. The basic instruments used by Lindbergh are still used today. They are of course much improved and highly reliable. The vital importance of these instruments to navigation, both in historical Perspective as well as current use, makes them worthwhile of more detailed study.
LINDBERGH’S INSTRUMENT PANEL
(figure available in print form)