| Place | Europe: France, Picardie, Somme |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL/01331 |
| Collection type | Technology |
| Object type | Aircraft component |
| Place made | Germany |
| Date made | c 1917 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
German altimeter
Description
Altimeter from German aircraft shot down by Australians on the Somme 1917. (part of the MC Collection).
The instrument comprises a green-grey coloured bowl to which the upper cylindrical portion approx. 30 mm in depth is attached. A dial is positioned inside the cylinder approx. 130 mm dia and is marked from 0 to 8 the graduations of the scale coming closer together as the units increase. The glass cover was broken and the instrument is dented around the face. Two lugs are attached to the base where it meets the cylinder and would have been where the instrument was bolted to the instrument panel. A third lug appears to have been broken off. The three lugs are at the 12 o'clock, 4 and 8 o'clock positions.Roughly half way between the two lugs is a knob approx. 20 mm in dia in the wall of the cylinder that would allow the instrument to be set for the altitude of its home airfield.
The instrument dial is white with black lettering. "3" is at the 12 o'clock position. Directly under this is printed:
Hohe in km
D.R.F.s.
N.S.
Stylised bird logo.
Nr.26085.
The instrument was badly damaged with the bowl bent inwards, the edges of the cylinder are bent.
History / Summary
Altimeters were fitted to all aircraft as they were developed in order to give the aviator a reading as to his height above the ground. By 1918 all front line aircraft were fitted with altimeters. These could be adjusted to the level of the airfield that the machine was operating from or the height of the field above mean sea level could be marked on the dial.