The Navigation Service of the Air Force (VKS) of Russia today, on March 24, celebrates its 102nd birthday. On this day, at the height of the First World War (March 24, 1916), on the basis of the order of the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (at that time, General of Infantry Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseev), the so-called TsANS was created. We are talking about the Central Air Navigation Station, which can be considered the "great-grandmother" of the modern navigational service of the Air Force as part of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
It was March 24 that was chosen as the date for the professional holiday of military navigators of the Russian Air Force in 2000. Since then, this holiday has been officially on the military calendar.
What was the scope of tasks of the Central Air Navigation Service during the First World War? In fact, there were many tasks. This is the verification and installation of instruments of high accuracy for those times on airplanes, carrying out aerological observations to analyze the state of the free atmosphere, working with aerial cameras. Due to the fact that the aircraft were equipped with special devices, a completely new military profession of an observer pilot appeared.
Become observer pilots either military personnel who graduated from a military school in this military direction, or those who had a successful experience of flying on the aircraft that were then in the fleet of the imperial army. Of course, both were especially welcomed.
At that time, particular importance was attached to observer pilots with aerial photography skills. The ability to capture enemy positions from the air for subsequent strikes and adjustments meant a lot more than a century ago.
By the way, the first school of observer pilots in our country is considered to be an educational institution that opened in January 1916 in Kiev. This decision was taken by the Military Council at the end of 1915. As you can see, the educational institution for the training of those who are now called navigators was opened even before the official date of birth of navigational service in the Russian Empire. The period of study at the Kiev Specialized Military School for observer pilots was six months. It was designed to train 50 servicemen. And it was, we must pay tribute, intensive preparation, including not only classes "on the floor", but also field exits.
Students of the Kiev Aviation School. General photo (1916):
School students during a lesson in aerial photography (analysis of footage):
What photographic equipment was used in training aerial photography, as well as directly over combat zones? First of all, we are talking about the aerial camera Potte, which was by no means a compact structure with a winding key, a 13x18 cm film cassette designed for a maximum of 50 shots, a drive and signaling device for rewinding, a stopwatch and a battery.
For reference: Vladimir Fillipovich Potte was born in Samara in 1866 in the family of a military topographer. While studying at an infantry school, he became interested in the theory of photography, as a result of which he developed his own camera for military needs. It was used to determine the distances and deviations of shells when firing from naval artillery guns.
Learning how to operate such an aerial camera, according to many students of the military school, was one of the most difficult, but at the same time, exciting lessons.
The shutter of the VF Potte camera was released using a special rubber bulb connected by a tube to the so-called rubber soufflé, expanding under the blowing of air by the pear and activating the shutter. The lens had a focal length of 210 mm and a relative aperture of 1: 4, 5. The cassette with a film was inserted into a special hole closed by a door. The total weight of the apparatus was about 9 kg.
The same camera from a different angle:
They experienced this miracle of technology, which at that time was really a miracle, at the airfield near Petrograd. It is noteworthy that the technological backlog of the aerial camera (AFA) Potte was very impressive, and therefore after the fall of the Russian Empire for a long time (until the beginning of the 30s) it was used in the Soviet Union to create topographic maps. Many of those maps subsequently played an invaluable role during the Great Patriotic War, as did, of course, military navigators.
Working with an altimeter at the Kiev school:
Due to the fact that one of the skills of an observer pilot at that time was to be the skill of aimed bombing, taking into account weather conditions and the speed of an airplane, the profession was eventually renamed "bombardier pilot".
And this is the aeronautical equipment of the First World War, used by Russian navigators:
Today, more than 2 thousand navigators of various types of aviation are serving in the formations, formations and units of the Aerospace Forces (VKS). The main task of the navigator service today is to ensure high accuracy and reliability of air navigation, as well as the effectiveness of the combat use of all types of aviation weapons, air reconnaissance and electronic warfare.
Congratulations to the navigators of the Air Force (VKS) and veterans of the service on their professional holiday!
