31
$\begingroup$

Does Anybody remember Combat Flight Simulator WW2 Europe Series ?
In the P-51, there is a "something" with "No hand hold" text on top of it
What is that ?The Thing
Image source

$\endgroup$
0

2 Answers 2

52
$\begingroup$

It is part of the gyroscopic gun sight:

enter image description here Source: WarRelics Forum

It is not a "hand hold" because you don't want to damage the sight by grabbing the scope to situate yourself in the cockpit (getting in/out) or otherwise pulling on it. Since it is aligned to your guns, you would want to avoid misaligning it.

$\endgroup$
7
  • 27
    $\begingroup$ I think it's an important point that the part gives the strong impression of being a handle, and is just in the right place when you need something to hold on. The handle-like shape, I assume, is caused by making it round to be non-hazardous when hit with the head. $\endgroup$ Dec 6, 2017 at 11:49
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @VolkerSiegel It also looks to be padded, but I've never encountered one in person to verify. $\endgroup$
    – Ron Beyer
    Dec 6, 2017 at 15:07
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @VolkerSiegel So basically, a very bad piece of user experience design based on… Dunno. $\endgroup$ Dec 6, 2017 at 21:06
  • 8
    $\begingroup$ Presumably the "no hand hold" message was added after quite a few sights had become misaligned. For UX, you could paint it to look spiky, or just cover it in black and yellow stripes. $\endgroup$ Dec 7, 2017 at 5:16
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ Aren't military vehicles, particularly planes, generally quite liberally decorated with text like "don't step", "don't push" and the aforementioned "no hand hold"..? $\endgroup$ Dec 7, 2017 at 8:30
6
$\begingroup$

It's Mk14 lead computing gyro gunsight. Designed by the Brits, and credited with increased accuracy / higher kill ratio (it took a lot of the guessing out of shooting). The padded part with "No hand hold" stenciled on it, was in fact padded to protect the pilots face / head from impact during a crash or crash landing. The Mustang did not have modern inertia reals on the shoulder straps (they could be locked up manually by the pilot).

$\endgroup$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .