\OVEMBER 25TII, 1943

FLIGHT

591

-:.IQ of the appropriate radius as The graticule differs in that it .ormal practice for ring and is etched on to the flat or lower . i sights. surface of an opaque concave \ disability of the reflector plane lens and consists of n sight is the lack of contrast betranslucent ring and bead and tween the luminous graticule two cross-wires. The crossand very bright backgrounds. In wires are interrupted centrally, such circumstances, therefore, it the vertical wire stopping short is necessary to enhance the conat the ring and the horizontal trast by interposing a dimming one extending nearly to the screen between the sight and the centre, its inner ends bein^ target. The dimming screen masked to a varying degree by dots not, as might be thought, the base /range mechanism. The dim the graticule image, as the diameter of the ring when proimage is in fact a virtual image jected on to the target plane formed by light rays reflected subtends a constant angle and direct from the optical unit to its radius represents the correct the observer's eye. The interdeflection for a target crossing position of the dimming screen, speed of ioo m.p.h. therefore, dims only the target Immediately below the gratiand background, the graticule cule is a base/range mask which image appearing bright by con is rotatable by the range and trast. base heads situated just below To operate the sight, the lam]) the spherical mounting. Rotais switched on and its brightness tion of the heads causes the iSbtrolled by a dimmer switch. mask to increase or decrease the It is then used in just the same gap between the two horizontal way as the older Ring-and-Bead wires. The setting of the mask Sight, with the great advantage is differentially controlled by the that, provided that the sight is two heads, increments of range correctly focused, small variaprogressively reducing the gap tions of the eye position relative and increments of base, i.e.. Pilot's Mark II reflector gun sight. to the sight do not affect its apparent span of target, increasaccuracy. ing it. The purpose of the Improving upon the above principles, the Pilot's Rerange /base mechanism is primarily to obviate the tendency flector Gun Sight Mk. II has been developed. This sight, to open fire while still out of effective range; it is not which is illustrated opposite, is used for fixed gun installaintended to function as a range-finder in the accepted sense. tions and is, therefore, rigidly attached to the aircraft, To operate the sight, the graduation mark on the base usually behind the windscreen and in the line, of sight of head is set to an estimate of the target span based on the pilot. The major differences from the Mk. I l l A* free recognition of the target type and paying due regard to gun sight described above is that a range estimator is any obliquity of aspect of the target. The range head is incorporated and the hood is dispensed with. set to the range at which it is desired to engage the target and the lamp is then switched on, its brightness being The optical system is contained within a cast light alloy controlled by the dimmer switch. Fire is then withheld body, at the upper end of which is mounted the reflector and dimming screen, and at the lower end the detachable while the range closes until the target fills the gap between the horizontal cross-wires. lamp holder. As before, the central portion of the body is externally machined spherical in order to provide an We are indebted to the Ministry Of Aircraft Production adjustable mounting. for the above notes and illustrations. RUSSIAN DIVE BOMBER

A PE 2 taxying to the take-off point of Voroshilovgrad airfield. The PE 2 (so named after its designer Petlyakov) is a high-speed light bomber which can be used for either precision or dive bombing.