Which instrument is this?

Machinbird · 15 May 2006, 11:31 PM

You can probably tell it is a compass, but which one? I didn't know this company made them this way until I found one on eBay.

Dan_San_Abbott · 16 May 2006, 10:13 AM

Machnbird:
It is a magnetic float compass. I am not sure it was used in a airplane.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Machinbird · 16 May 2006, 10:28 AM

Hi Dan-San. I believe it is a bit more than just another float compass. You will see that later when I post some views from other angles. It appears to be of WWI vintage, made by a well known compass manufacturer. It seems to mark the transition from cardanic supported compasses to fixed mounts.

Machinbird · 16 May 2006, 11:08 PM

Perhaps it will look a bit more familiar from this view. There was a discussion about a compass similar to this one about a year ago. Does anyone recognize the manufacturer yet? Admittedly, the picture is not the best.

Jim · 17 May 2006, 01:54 PM

I also am hard pressed to see it as being from an aircraft, though I could be convinced if you have a period photo of the same model in an aircraft. The two angles on the dial from the side suggest that it could have been mounted on something that required a person to be able to read it from either a low angle or a high angle.

Are there any of the usual military air service markings you typically see on military aircraft instruments?

Machinbird · 17 May 2006, 04:05 PM

Hi Jim. Yes there are typical markings on the compass dial. I'm probably giving a lot away, but there are the words, "Armee Kompaß" with some additional characters

. The housing and bezel seems to be made of zinc alloy based on corrosion and fracture characteristics. Interestingly enough, it does not have the Cardan type suspension. A rigid mount clamps around the body and provides the support. To me, it appears to be a late WWI design which took into account lessons in aircraft compasses learned during the war period and also the strategic metal availability late in the war.

Machinbird · 17 May 2006, 08:52 PM

I was hoping some of the more bold among the viewers would have at least ventured a guess as to the manufacturer of this compass. You should be able to read most of the face from the picture. It is the Armee- KompaßIV version of the Carl Plath Pfad-finder (path finder). Perhaps someone could offer some references or information regarding what aircraft might have been equipped with it. I believe the earlier versions of the Plath compass were used interchangeably with the Bamberg compasses.

Does anyone have any idea what was used for compass fluid in these instruments?