Aircraft Recognition

[billrunnels]

A lot of time was spent on aircraft recognition, both friend and foe, during Pre-flight. The goal was to train the eye to identify aircraft at high speeds in the air by it's silhouette. Motion Pictures, Film Slides and Strips were used in the early phase of training. However, the final training tool was the Flash Meter. The equipment used was a slide projector with a flash meter (like a camera shutter). Slides could be projected on a screen at progressively faster speeds up to 1/100th second. This enabled us to recognize an object from it's "total form" because there is no time for the eye to scan it's parts. I remember how focused you had to be at the 1/100th second speed. You didn't dare blink, wrote the answer without looking at the paper. This final test was challenging to say the least as it included U.S.A. Army/Navy, United Kingdom, German, Japanese, Italian and Russian Aircraft.

We had a Recognition Pictorial Manual with us on every mission but I never had to use it. Didn't see but two enemy aircraft in the air.
The photo is from my copy of the Recognition Manual

 

[Gnomey]

Good stuff Bill!

 

[Wurger]

 

[P-39 Expert]

View attachment 501082 A lot of time was spent on aircraft recognition, both friend and foe, during Pre-flight. The goal was to train the eye to identify aircraft at high speeds in the air by it's silhouette. Motion Pictures, Film Slides and Strips were used in the early phase of training. However, the final training tool was the Flash Meter. The equipment used was a slide projector with a flash meter (like a camera shutter). Slides could be projected on a screen at progressively faster speeds up to 1/100th second. This enabled us to recognize an object from it's "total form" because there is no time for the eye to scan it's parts. I remember how focused you had to be at the 1/100th second speed. You didn't dare blink, wrote the answer without looking at the paper. This final test was challenging to say the least as it included U.S.A. Army/Navy, United Kingdom, German, Japanese, Italian and Russian Aircraft.

We had a Recognition Pictorial Manual with us on every mission but I never had to use it. Didn't see but two enemy aircraft in the air.
The photo is from my copy of the Recognition Manual

Great information Bill, thanks.
You mentioned you only saw two EA, what were they?
Also when was your combat tour, starting and ending dates?
You are a great source of factual information, thanks again.

 

[billrunnels]

Great information Bill, thanks.
You mentioned you only saw two EA, what were they?
Also when was your combat tour, starting and ending dates?
You are a great source of factual information, thanks again.

My tour was from 02/01/45 thru 05/19/45. The two aircraft ME-109 and ME-210.

 

[P-39 Expert]

My tour was from 02/01/45 thru 05/19/45. The two aircraft ME-109 and ME-210.

Thanks again Bill.