A Flight Test Instrument from *RADIATION INC.*

a reply to: CraftBuilder

you are exposed to radiation every day.

A little bit of radium in the air around you wont give you cancer instantly.

Calm down

a reply to: Sammamishman

Hmmm thank you for that! That is actually pretty nice how you got it. I will try to get an actual scan of it and email it over to you. I used to have a scanner, till it crapped out on me.

a reply to: CraftBuilder

Thank you for your concern too. I keep it in the basement on my shelf of cool military oddities.

originally posted by: Biigs
a reply to: CraftBuilder

you are exposed to radiation every day.

A little bit of radium in the air around you wont give you cancer instantly.

Calm down

Nobody here is excited, but thanks for the rude and condescending remark.
Radioactive partical in lung tissue

You could try emailing these people
www.pimaair.org...

or even these

www.dm.af.mil...

or other similiar museums

Interesting to note the connectors on the back. VSIs back then (and many still in use today) were bellows based (pneumatic), not synco (electronic) based, meaning it should have a pipe fitting. A synco based VSI back then would have been very rare. Despite being set up like a VSI, because there is no units specified, it is a bit of an assumption to be sure. Rate of turn indicators are set up the same way for instance. This could have been a one of custom instrument for a specific project. Production aircraft gauges in general are meticulously labelled.

Actually I am now leaning toward a Rate of Turn Indicator because zero starts at the top which is typical as opposed to a VSI where zero starts at the 270 degree point. Also Rate of Turn Indicators often get their reference input from external gyros which would explain the electrical connectors as opposed to a pipe fitting.

a reply to: CraftBuilder

That is what I was thinking too, considering the markings on it. And Radiation INC. made instruments for the space race as well as other aviation projects.

a reply to: hellobruce

I'll try Pima, but do you think the dm.af.mil wont get upset that I may have some secret piece of tech that wasnt suppose to leave the base?

a reply to: CraftBuilder

Rate of turn isn't indicated with a positive or negative that I have ever seen. Vertical speed is however.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Good point. I can't find any reference to the model number, so maybe a custom unit.

I've modified instruments like this occasionally for use on test equipment like pitot/static testers and camera stabilization beds.

a reply to: CraftBuilder

It's almost certainly a one off or part of a special order. Pima, or even Dryden is going to be the best bet to find out.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Could it be a G level meter?

a reply to: Zaphod58

Do you think Dryden would help or be upset if I was asking them about this?

a reply to: Sammamishman

Now that is a possibility. I'd be impressed as HELL at anything that went over about two negative Gs, but it could be.

It still looks like a one off unit, but yeah it could be. An email will be our best bet honestly.

a reply to: GenRadek

It's old, I don't see why they would be.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I think I just might do that!! Thanks!

As soon as I find out I will put it up here.

Also if anyone else knows what and where this is from, or off of, please let me know!

a reply to: GenRadek

Could it be a Force Amplifier/Indicator?

The earliest Radiation hardware known to still exist is the "Force Amplifier", several examples of which were purchased on E-Bay by Nancye Meyers, a Radiation memorabilia collector at Harris Corporation. The amplifier is pictured in a Radiation brochure dating to about 1955. The same brochure states "Radiation Inc... developed and are producing a Servo Force Measuring System This equipment was designed to measure and indicate directly the forces applied by the pilot to the various control surfaces of an aircraft in flight. The indicator is house in a standard instrument case and is normally installed in a photorecorder panel where readings are photographed as desired.." A later paragraph in the same brochure probably refers to the same equipment: "...design and production of the S-6 servometer system for the flight test of aircraft. The complete system provides accurate dial indication of tension and compression forces as applied to aircraft rudder pedals, and wheels or stick assemblies. These highly accurate servo amplifiers may be used with many different types of pickups and transducers." The amplifier contains three vacuum tubes: 6U8 triode-pentode 12AX7 dual triode 6AQ5 power pentode The earliest contract was AF04(611)-424 with Edwards AFB and was assigned JA 1040 under Ralph Johnson. Other systems were built for the Navy (P.O. 1-2278-55, JA1052) and North American Aviation (P.O. H-562-A-33566, JA 1053), presumably for installation in other aircraft. These JA's were assigned to Fred Cullman in Orlando. The most challenging aspect of these programs was installation of the sensors and other equipment in the existing aircraft.

source:
link

a reply to: Zaphod58

Why not write Harris and see if they can track down the model #? Seems a quicker bet. It's got a serial. Someone, somewhere in a giant govt warehouse has a file, but it'd be easier to track it down through Harris, I'd imagine.